cauliflower purée

Cauliflower, cauliflower, cauliflower… everywhere you look these days, something somewhere is now being made out of cauliflower. It’s low carb, less starchy, and can be made to taste like anything you want. But, can I tell you a secret? I? Have loved cauliflower for ever…

Cauliflower, you see, was my grandfather’s favorite vegetable, and my grandmother, being a foodie before being a foodie was a thing, always made cauliflower. For my 16th birthday I not only had veal cutlets, but also tried a new vegetable that was a cross between broccoli and cauliflower called, prepare yourself… broccoflower (now known as romanesco cauliflower).

So, as you see, we’ve been eating cauliflower in our home in some form or another, forever.

Which leads me to one of my favorite ways to eat it… puréed a la mashed potatoes. It’s just so yummy; and it’s more delicate flavor is the perfect complement to chicken, mushrooms, pork tenderloin (as seen in the above picture), or fish.

Plus, it’s just so easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

1 cup cashews, soaked 2 -4 hours

8 cups chicken stock, (can sub out vegetable stock for vegetarian)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided use

2 Tbsp ghee

Directions:

Add chopped cauliflower, 1 tsp salt, and stock to a large stock pot. Bring to boil.

Turn heat down to medium high, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender.

In a blender (I use a vitamix), add cashews and 1 cup of the cooked stock and blend until smooth and combined (will be more liquid than solid).

Add cauliflower florets, 2 Tbsp of ghee, and 1/2 tsp of salt to blender.

Purée until combined and smooth. Mixture will be thick, but not overly so. Serve.