Coniferous Rainbow

Ever wonder what in the Federation that funny, white, brain looking thing in the market is? It comes in orange, white, green, yellow, and even purple or pink. It seems to be easily cross bred with others of it’s brassica family of cabbages too. Is it edible? Is it alive? First time I saw it, it looked like an alien Captain Kirk and his crew met on Triskilian. It wasn’t though, it’s cauliflower, and some Terrans aren’t to sure what to do with this oddball from the ground. The usual preparation I have encountered was boiling it, a method I wont try again. A friend and I solved our cauliflower conundrum with this little recipe. Use every color you can get your hands on for a beautiful dish, that is tasty too.
Spicy Cauliflower
Ingredients
Garlic 2-4 cloves, minced)
1tsp Basil ( dried)
1tsp oregano (dried)
2tsp smoked paprika powder
2tsp your favorite curry powder
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Adjust spices to your comfort level and taste. Experimentation won’t bite.
Olive oil
After washing the cauliflower, pull off the tough leaves at the base, and cut it into 1″ pieces. Place in a foil lined 9″x11″ baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on, add spices, and mix until covered. Preheat oven to 500°F broiler setting, or use your barbeque pit to grill it. Bake until they have a gentle browning, stirring a few times while cooking. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. The texture you want is similar to a steamed vegetable, where it has some crunch but isn’t mush. If you are concerned it may burn before the center is cooked, start the oven at 450°F.
Above all have fun with it and tailor it to your own unique taste.
A variation: roast the garlic and cauliflower, mash up with fat free Greek yogurt, a little butter, salt, and pepper. Try this with the white cauliflower unless you don’t mind a pile of purple or green, yellow or orange “what the heck is this?” On your plate. 🙂