Asian Cucumber Salad

Before you leave your comments, let me say it for you: "Man, would that picture have been so much better if I had artfully arranged some cilantro sprigs on top of the salad." You know the drill on why this didn't happen, because it's happened to you. I'm at the store buying ingredients for dinner, and I KNEW I had a bunch of cilantro at home. Of course upon arriving home I find that there was no cilantro anywhere to be found, but I'll be damned if I'm going to go pack C-boy back out to the car, run to the store and fight the after work crowd, just so my f*cking picture turns out better. I may be a bit obsessive about taking pictures of my food, but I'm not THAT crazy! So there ya have it.

In any event, even without the visually pleasing, but unnecessary to the enjoyment of, cilantro, this bright tasting cucumber salad was delicious. A perfect accompaniment to the cod with two sauces I served with it (that freakishly good..and easy...recipe tomorrow). It received the highest compliment from w, who said it tasted similar to the cucumber salad her dad makes (and w's dad is not to trifled with in all things Asian-flavored). Its cool, fresh flavors played off the spicy, full-flavored fish dish perfectly, and took all of about ten minutes to throw together, not counting the hour it sits in the fridge where the magical flavor melding happens. Try it out, you'll be impressed!
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Asian Cucumber Salad
adapted from Southern Living Magazine (proving that one never knows where inspiration may come from!!- bb)

serves 6

ingredients:
3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/8 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

method:
Stir together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, tossing to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. Using your hands, place on salad plates, letting excess dressing drain off into bowl before plating. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately.

Beet It!

Very timely, and quite lovely to look at, these eight beet recipes from The Atlantic seem sure to brighten up winter.

Also from The Atlantic, and I hesitate to link to this for the easily influenced to be under the influence, is a(nother) column about the benefits of moderate drinking. Apparently those of who imbibe also earn more. Drinking for dollars, as it were!
Picture from The Atlantic

Everything's better with bacon!

Like I need to tell you that. Going with the "health" theme of the last post, wherein I sought out greater personal well being by slathering a piece of fish with butter, why not go all in and sauté some home grown collards in bacon "juice". I call it juice; w calls it grease. I'm sure you'd agree my way is much healthier!

My garden has been supplying a ginormous amount of greens this summer. I haven't had to supplement our green intake with anything from the store for months, which is more satisfying than I can tell you. Plus our garden greens have such a nice texture. Much softer than any store bought organic produce that gets grown on the factory farms that supply most organic grocery chains. Collards are like the rabbits of the garden world. I planted five little plants, which seemed quite manageable. Next thing you know I'm leaving bundles of collards, from the plants pictured at the top (that's just one plant, btw), on the neighbors and searching for new things to do with all the abundance. I hadn't done this, and I have to say "this" may be the best version yet. Sure the bacon...or pancetta in our example...helped, but also cutting the big leaves into tiny ribbons and sautéing them super fast added a wonderful freshness and a perfect bite. I would guess that even people who swear they hate greens would find something to love with these!
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Collard Greens Miniera
adapted from epicurious/Gourmet Magazine

active time: 25 min/ start to finish: 25 min
yield: makes 4 servings

ingredients:
1 1/4 lb collard greens, halved lengthwise and stems and center ribs
discarded
4-6 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped

method:
Stack collard-leaf halves and roll crosswise into a cigar shape. Cut
crosswise into very thin slices (no thicker than 1/4 inch) with a sharp
knife. Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat,
stirring, until crisp. Add collards, tossing to coat, and cook until just
bright green, about 60 to 90 seconds. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Coma mi espinaca? Por supuesto!!

I promise no one will have to convince you to eat your spinach after this! If you don't own Anya von Bremzen's definitive book on Spanish cooking called The New Spanish Table, then do yourselves a favor and hit your local book supplier and grab a copy. I have been using it regularly whenever I need a hit of Spanish warmth on my dinner table...which is quite often this winter...and have yet to be disappointed. Easy to follow recipes that aren't just ersatz copies of Spanish dishes, but are the real thing with the proper ingredients, serving suggestions, and depth of flavor that makes this food so freakishly satisfying. Each time I make something it's like a mini vacation in my mouth!

The next two things I'll be posting about were suggested to be served together, and like all von Bremzen's suggestions were spot on. If you have anyone in your house who recoils at the mere suggestion of eating spinach then you need to spring this plate on them. The spinach maintained this brilliantly vibrant green color and slightly crunchy texture, and the addition of golden raisins, garlic, and pine nuts that taken together proves why this is a classic Catalan creation. It was perfect with our Catalan Braised Pork Shoulder with dried fruit (next post, I promise!) She also suggests serving it on morning toast with poached eggs which sounds like a too fabulous breakfast. Plus you can also sub chard or escarole should hell freeze over and there's a spinach shortage at the market.
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Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Espinacs a la Catalana
from The New Spanish Table
serves 3 to 4 as a side dish (although w and I ate all of it between us, so you might want to bump up the ingredients!- bb)

ingredients:
5 to 6 tablespoons golden or dark raisins
2 packages (each 10 ounces) fresh spinach or 2 medium-size bunches fresh spinach, tough stems discarded
3 to 4 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
6 to 8 whole small peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
5 tablespoons pine nuts
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

method:
1. Place the raisins in a small bowl, add very hot water to cover, and soak until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, then set aside.

2. Rinse but do not drain the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer the spinach to a colander, and squeeze out the excess moisture by pressing on the spinach with the back of a spoon. Chop the spinach coarsely. (The spinach can be prepared a few hours ahead up to this point.)

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over low heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and soaked raisins, and cook until the nuts and the garlic are light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chopped spinach, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.

Bollywood Bhindi Masala

I'm not saying this Bhindi Masala from the goddess of Indian vegetarian cooking Manjula Jain will have you dancing and singing like Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai (to see her in action check out the video below the recipe. One word: AWESOME!!), but once your brain is suffused with the unbelievably heady aromas as you cook this dry curry okra side dish, and your tastebuds are made giddy by its intense flavorings I take no responsibility for unusual dance moves around your dinner table! Okra should be in abundance at your farmers and produce markets right now, so take full advantage....and be prepared!
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Bhindi Masala (Spicy Okra)
from Manuula Jain
serves 2 to 3
Click on Manjula's link above to see a video of her preparation of this dish. And also to watch her excruciatingly slow dissection of the okra. Hey, I said she was a goddess, I didn't say she was perfect!- bb

ingredients:
1/2 lb okra (bhindi)
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
1 tablespoon gram flour (besan) (optional)
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper

method:
Wash the okra and pat dry. Make sure to completely dry the okra as wet okra will be sticky when cutting. Cut off the both ends of the okra, and slice lengthwise in halves. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Test the heat by adding one cummin seed to the oil; if seed crack right away oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds and asafetida (hing). When the cumin seeds crack, add the okra. Stir for a minute and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the okra for two to three minutes.

Remove the cover and add the coriander powder, red cayenne pepper and turmeric. Next add gram flour (besan) and continue to stir-fry until the okra is tender. Add the salt, mango powder and bell peppers, cook for another minute. Salt is added last to avoid the okra becoming lacy.

Variations:
1. Adding colorful bell pepper is a great garnish for the okra and adds flavor to the dish (a must in my book for its color, flavor, and texture- bb).
2. You can substitute the bell pepper with sliced tomatoes as a garnish.
3. You can also slice the okra in 1/4 inch pieces and follow the same method above.

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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: There aren't many things I insist you make. This Hazelnut and Wild Mushroom Soup is one of them!!

Raita: millions of Indians can't be wrong!

It was halfway through the main course of spice crusted pork (recipe to come this week) last night during a dinner party at our house when my friend Amy said "This is delicious, but I wish I had some raita." I instantly had that "oh shit" moment and ran to the fridge to grab the bowl of raita I had made with such anticipation earlier in the day and completely forgot to bring to the table. Better late than never I suppose.

Raita. As ketchup is to Americans, chismol to Hondurans, and ajvar to those of the Balkan persuasion, raita is the yogurt-based accompaniment that millions of Indian families will not go without. As Vikram Vij says in his "Vij's Cookbook", where this recipe come from: "With the exception of coconut curries, it's hard to think of any Indian dish with which we would not eat raita." And no wonder. With its subtly complex flavor and cool, creamy texture, it's the perfect foil to the pungently spicy dishes of India. Vij says they also at times eat it on its own as a soup. Ridiculously easy to make, this is a must at your next sub-continental soirée!
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Cucumber Raita
from the Vij's Cookbook

ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 medium to large cucumber, peeled or unpeeled (do not use bitter cucumbers or the long English cucumber. If you want to add color to this dish, don't peel the cucumber. Make sure the peel is not bitter)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk (optional, use if raita appears too thick)

method:
Place yogurt in bowl. Using a hand grater, grate cucumber and all of its water into the yogurt. Stirl well to combine. Add salt, garam masala, and pepper, and mix well.

Family secret revealed: Vij Family's Chicken Curry

I've written before (click here to read all the salivatory details) about our trip to the North American mecca of Indian food that is Vij's Restaurant in Vancouver, BC. There all is sub-continental and sublime. Before we had left w had picked up a copy of the Vij's Cookbook, which until our visit we hadn't cracked. Since then I am constantly looking for inspiration within. Last week w stated that she had the desire for Indian. Me, always being eager to please, knew just where to turn. But when so much opportunity presents itself, where to start? This seemed as good as anyplace. I mean if it is good enough for Vij's family, and his own mother made it, you think it isn't worthy? Me neither. One bite in, you'll agree. With the other things I've made from the Vij's Cookbook (like this fabulous coconut curried vegetable side), this has remarkably complex flavors that are coaxed out of very few ingredients (that is a few of the key spices at right). The key is each ingredients is so flavorful, that the whole coats your tastebuds in savory pleasure. This is tremendously easy to put together, and so rewarding. One final word: be prepared as feelings of inner peace and happiness are soon to be yours!
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Vij Family's Chicken Curry

ingredients:
½ cup canola oil
2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)
3-inch stick of cinnamon
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup sour cream, stirred
2 cups water
½ cup chopped cilantro (including stems)

method:
1-In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for five to eight minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and sauté for four more minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this masala for five minutes, until the oil separates.

the masala coming together.... and smelling SO good!

2-Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke the thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour.

the chicken after the addition of sour cream & water

3-Transfer cooked chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro. Divide curry evenly among six bowls.
Serves 6

Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad, because you care about others!

In my continuing effort to rid your pantries of those pesky piles of excessive seasonal produce and give you fabulously satisfying reasons to spend quality time in your kitchens, may I supply you with another recipe that I guarantee will draw admiring looks and choice compliments from those lucky enough to share it with you. This isn't something you share with just anyone. This is for people you really, really like. And when their tongues are hanging out of their mouths in astonishment and they are begging for the recipe, you absolutely DO NOT want to tell them how ridiculously easy this was to throw together. Just promise to print out the recipe when you get a chance and then conveniently "forget". You may be asking "well then why are you sharing it?" Because I am a great humanitarian who is filled with nothing but altruistic impulses and cares for nothing more than your happiness, that's why! Geez, have you read anything I've posted??

Okay, this isn't just about me being so nice. Actually it is more about Mark Bittman's altruistic impulses and way with an easy food fix, as I grabbed the recipe off of the New York Times site. So with that disclaimer, and with everything (almost) you need at your local farmers markets right now, this is the side salad you MUST SERVE this holiday weekend! Happy Labor day everyone!!
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Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad
from Mark Bittman

ingredients:
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
4 to 6 ears corn, stripped of their kernels (2 to 3 cups)
Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
2 fresh small chilies, like Thai, seeded and minced
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more or less.

The bacon and corn commingling in a most holy union!

method:
1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to render fat; add onion and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes, then add corn. Continue cooking, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until corn begins to brown a bit, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain fat if you wish.

2. Put lime juice in a large bowl and add bacon-corn mixture; then toss with remaining ingredients. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Garden insurgency

I was in trouble. The tomato insurgency was gathering steam. Those few cute little starts that seemed so passive and innocent this past spring had risen up and were threatening to take over the garden like some organic insurgency. I had to act, quickly and decisively, to thwart them. Luckily, many, many years ago, as a very young child, I learned to read, and now I put this literacy to my advantage. I happened to be perusing my friend Denise's hunger inducing blog and came across a Jacques Pepin recipe she posted for a cherry tomato gratin. A gratin! Of course. That will bring those little globular garden insurgents to their knees! If Jacques, who has achieved semi-hero status in my kitchen, says it is so, then I consider it gospel. Reading the recipe on Denise's blog, I could hardly believe that something so easy could provide the garden relief I was seeking, plus feed the large group of friend's coming over for dinner that night. Just let me say Jacques, us usual, did not disappoint. This was nothing short of fabulous, totally over-delivering for the minimal effort expended. The tomatoes soften just so, becoming infused with the herbs and garlic nestled alongside them, the crunch of the bread providing the perfect counterpoint to the lush texture and flavor. An awesome side dish with the rotisseried leg of lamb I served, and one of the best uses for the tomatoey bounty bursting out of your garden (or your farmer's market stand)!

these are all the ingredients, ready to be tossed by hand. I would of had a photo of the finished gratin. but I kind of, um, forgot to take one.....

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Cherry Tomato Gratin
from Jacques Pepin

ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds cherry tomatoes (approx 3.5 cups)
3 oz day-old french bread (about 3.5 cups) cut into 1″ cubes
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced (about 2 T)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 T virgin olive oil (I use a bit more, usually)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (even good w/o this)

method:
Preheat the over to 375. Wash tomatoes and discard stems. Mix tomatoes and all ingredients in a bowl. Transfer the mixture to a 6-cup oven-proof dish. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, serve immediately.

Fresh Vegetable Curry; ger ready to riff!

You just know it when something doesn't sound quite right. Examples abound. Giving Chrysler several billion dollars to flush down the toilet? Come on, would you trust anyone who produced the PT Cruiser? Sending Mario Batali AND Gywneth Paltrow to run around annoying the country of Spain? What, did someone in Spain piss off an PBS producer at some point? I could go on. For our purposes though I'll relate it to this recipe. I've had this Food and Wine Magazine article that has had several delicious Indian dishes (here and here for example) filed away for some time, meaning to make this fresh veg curry. But it just didn't seem to have enough kick in its original version. Indian food is all about vivid, complex flavors. The FandW version had maybe two strong flavoring agents.. As w says, any good Indian dish has to have at least, at a minimum, three and hopefully more of the basics: chili pepper, cumin, cayenne, ginger, turmeric, etc. The recipe below, which paired beautifully with a perfect piece of grilled wild sockeye salmon, fills that bill nicely. It is easy, wildly adaptable to various veggie ingredients (I subbed fresh spring asparagus for their suggested green beans), and beats the hell out of some steamed broccoli!

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Fresh Vegetable Curry
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely julienned fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
1 jalapeño, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
One 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup water
Kosher salt
3 carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash (neck only), peeled and cut into 1-by-1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 to 1 pound fresh asaparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Basmati rice, for serving


method:
1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, ginger, jalapeño and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and mash lightly until just beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and water; season with salt. Bring to a boil.

2. Add the carrots, cover and simmer over low heat until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Add the squash and beans, cover and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with basmati rice.

Why I LOVE the Farmer's Market, pt. 1

An eye-popping display of rainbow chard from Deep Roots Farm that w and I happened upon this morning at the chilly Portland Farmer's Market, the perfect veggie side for our dinner party tomorrow!
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Sautéed Rainbow Chard
serves 2-4

ingredients:
1 large bunch organic rainbow (or regular) swiss chard
3 garlic cloves , sliced thin
olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

method:
1-Wash and pat dry chard. Run a knife along each side of stalk to separate leaves from stalks. Chop stalks into 2"-3" pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chard stalks and sliced garlic. While stalks begin to cook, slice or chop remaining leaves. After 3 or 4 minutes add leaves to sauté pan (the more fibrous stalks take longer than the leaves to cook). Cook until leaves are soft with just a bit of bite to them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and serve immediately

Brussels baggage? Get over it!!

"EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!!" For a lot of us, that scarring refrain from childhood always evokes memories of lifeless, stringy asparagus, sadly limp, marginally-green green beans, or worse...Brussels sprouts! Any mention of them as a veggie side was greeted with that face. But with age comes growth, and in the last few years I've managed to put my Brussels baggage back in the cooking closet where it belongs. These midget cabbages that have been kicked around the vegetable patch like no others have now found a regular place on the dinner plates at our house. Steamed, blanched, grilled, sautéed with pancetta...they take well to so many different approaches that they're impossible not to like for the creative cook. And the following recipe has become our latest favorite, something w can whip up in no time. From Aliza Green's great cooking tome Starting With Ingredients, this recipe perfectly showcases the fresh, slightly earthy crunch of the sprout highlighted by a light drizzle of balsamic. If your old sprout scars open up at the mere thought of eating one, try this Brussels bandage!
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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Syrup
From Aliza Green's "Starting With Ingredients"


ingredients:
1 pint Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic syrup (recipe below)

method:
Trim off bottom of the Brussels sprouts and cut in half lengthwise. Preheat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) and add the olive oil. Place the Brussels sprouts halves cut-side down in the skillet and brown for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn sprouts over individually and continue to cooking for about 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, arrange on serving plates and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup over each plate. Serve immediately.
*Cooks Note: We've also had these without the syrup and loved the simple preparation.
+ + + + +

Balsamic Syrup
ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey

method:
Combine all ingredients in a medium, heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until bubbling and thickened to a light syrup, about 10 minutes. Store at room temperature.

Hey vegans...I hear ya!!

I always admit to an intolerance of intolerants of any stripe. Contradictory I know, but it's my blog, so what can you do? In my regular Thursday email to my constituents at VINO, where I talk about our weekend wine tastings, I got off a little on vegans (they're such a fun target, sitting there in their hemp fabric outfits, sallow-complected, all weak from lack of meat protein): "I'm not big on extreme, not very well thought out views (in spite of what you might think every week when you read this). Since most, if not all, of my thoughts revolve around food and wine and my next meal, I tend to peruse a ton of food related books, blogs, and magazines. My favorite tidbit this week came out of the new Saveur I was leafing through at home yesterday. They were reviewing vegetarian cookbooks. Now I don't have anything against vegetarian cooking. Some of my favorite dishes, including an awesome cauliflower side we had last night (check out the blog in the next couple of days for the recipe), are meat free delights. It's vegans I don't get. I side more with Anthony Bourdain, who called them "the Hezbollah-like offshoot of vegetarians". Of course I also think that duck fat is one of God's greatest creations. One of the books reviewed by Saveur was a vegan-oriented tome called "Veganomicon". In the intro to the book, the authors express this lament (and I don't think they're kidding): "Why nobody believes us when we mutter things about sacrificing beets under the full moon, we'll never guess." Um, okay. And as good as a tub of margarine sounds, I'll stick to butter, thanks."

As I mentioned, having said all that, I did promise the recipe for this off-the-charts (vegan!!) cauliflower dish we had a couple of nights ago. It was another find from the Wednesday NYT Dining section, and it was so fucking good that I just kept looking at w with this wide-eyed, slack jawed look (that I'm sure was very attractive) and muttered things like "oh fuck" and "holy shit" and all my other erudite food descriptors when I'm having mouth-gasms. In any event, this is kind of like a cauliflower paella, and is an absolute do-over at our house, and something you need to spring on your family and friends. Hm, maybe those whacked out vegans are on to something!
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Cauliflower With Tomatoes and Pimentón
from the New York Times
time: 20 minutes

ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 mild dried chile, optional
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon slivered garlic
2 plum tomatoes, fresh or canned, diced
1 tablespoon sweet or hot pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish, optional.

method:
1. Put cauliflower and 1 tablespoon water in a covered glass bowl and microwave on high power until quite soft (a thin-bladed knife will penetrate with almost no effort), about 7 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Meanwhile, put oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium heat and add chile, if using, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, tomato and about 1/4 cup of water, raise heat a bit, and cook until mixture is saucy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble cauliflower (if it’s still hot, mash it with a potato masher or use a couple of knives to chop it up in the bowl) and stir it into sauce, along with pimentón, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is coated with sauce and hot. Taste and adjust seasoning, then garnish and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 or more servings.