For 11 months of the year cauliflowers are in season in the UK, so an excellent veg to enjoy all the year round. It's therefore a shame that sales of cauliflowers have dropped 35% in the last 10 years and it has been suggested that cauliflower is a regular feature on the dinner plate in only four in ten homes. So why might this decline in cauliflower consumption be? Besides their reputation as a somewhat soggy veg, it might have more to do with the increase in popularity of their cousin broccoli. The greener florets of broccoli have been heralded as a super food, causing a rush to put these in the shopping basket in place of cauliflower. It shouldn't be forgotten though that cauliflower is a good source of Vitamin C and K, as well as containing smaller amounts of B vitamins, so is still a useful nutritional addition to a meal.
Liven cauliflower up with strong flavours such as chilli, garlic and mature cheeses. Their flesh is such that it absorbs flavours very well and is why it commonly features in curries and Indian side dishes. Cauliflower florets also absorb fat well, so go easy on the amount of oil that you use in dishes.
Don't just stop at Aloo Gobi and cauliflower cheese. Look at the following websites for some further inspiration for how you can make cauliflower a regular feature again at meal times:
http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/cauliflower
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?keywords=cauliflower
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-ingredients/cauliflower
http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipe/cauliflower-ingredients.html
Photo by Anthony DiPierro via Wikimedia Commons
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