We know what you’re thinking, “these queers sure love their cauliflower.” I guess it’s another gay stereotype we are guilty of. We love Bravo-housewife wine-fights, Dolly Parton, overpriced swimsuits, and cauliflower.After our successful ability to transform this boring, white vegetable into a delicious Asian side dish with our cauliflower fried rice, we thought about what else we could do with it…
Our mothers may have meant well (or maybe they were horrifically lazy), but their “technique” took this potentially delicious veggie and brought out all of it’s foot and wet cardboard flavor. You can roast it, mash it, grill it like a steak, but for the love of God, STOP STEAMING IT!!!
In this recipe, the “it” vegetable gets a healthy infusion of garlic flavor, and can step in anywhere that calls for mashed potatoes. We used this to top our shepherd’s pie recipe recently to cut out some carbs (New Year, same metabolism) and it was maybe even better than the potato version.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into florets and then into large chunks. Add to the pot and boil until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the minced garlic and heat until just beginning to brown, watching closely. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once the cauliflower is tender, drain and place in a large food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. With the blade running, using a fine mesh strainer, pour the oil into the food processor or blender and discard the garlic. Add smoked salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
serves 4
Yummy! Garlic makes everything better!