Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

[shel]

G'morning ....

I'd like to try making some mashed cauliflower to take the place of regular mashed potatoes. Checking around on the web has resulted in some insipid recipes or recipes loaded with cream, cream cheese, and excessive amounts of fat. Does anyone have a suggestion for something that's tasty and neither too fat-laden nor bland?

Thanks!

[bluezebra]

Hi Shel! We love it. The way I do it is to break it up into medium-sized to smaller but not tiny, florets and toss lightly with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Then I roast it along with some loose (large) garlic cloves in their skins (also tossed in olive oil) at 450 degrees until browned. I stir occassionally. That takes about 20-30 minutes or a tad longer, I admit, I've never timed it. I just check every 5-8 minutes after the first 15.

Then I just put in the robot coupe or else use my stick blender and puree it while it's still hot along with the garlic (I remove the garlic skin first). Season to taste and add a tbsp of butter at the end. It's delicious. Maybe 2tbsp of fat for a whole head of cauliflower (1tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter) and you could probably do it with less actually. If it's too dry, you can add a bit of yogurt or buttermilk or cream or cream cheese lol! I have found that roasting adds a beautiful brown nuttiness to it and helps to dry out the water that cauliflower is prone to producing/absorbing during wet cooking methods.

Let me know if you try it and like it!

[ChefRAZ]

you can sub anything for the cream or butter if you cook the florets in lowfat chicken stock or veg.

Surprise South Beach Mashed 'Potatoes' - Allrecipes

[shel]

Originally Posted by bluezebra

Hi Shel! We love it. The way I do it is to break it up into medium-sized to smaller but not tiny, florets and toss lightly with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Then I roast it along with some loose (large) garlic cloves in their skins (also tossed in olive oil) at 450 degrees until browned. I stir occassionally. That takes about 20-30 minutes or a tad longer, I admit, I've never timed it. I just check every 5-8 minutes after the first 15.

Then I just put in the robot coupe or else use my stick blender and puree it while it's still hot along with the garlic (I remove the garlic skin first). Season to taste and add a tbsp of butter at the end. It's delicious. Maybe 2tbsp of fat for a whole head of cauliflower (1tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter) and you could probably do it with less actually. If it's too dry, you can add a bit of yogurt or buttermilk or cream or cream cheese lol! I have found that roasting adds a beautiful brown nuttiness to it and helps to dry out the water that cauliflower is prone to producing/absorbing during wet cooking methods.

Let me know if you try it and like it!

That sounds great. I may even get some fresh cauliflower today. Thanks!

Have you ever tried adding some additional veggies to the mashed cauliflower. Sometimes I make a vegetable moosh - baked or microwaved 'tater and add chopped or diced broccoli, zuchhini, or corn to it, maybe some red peppers - whatever is handy and seems good that's in the ice box. I could see throwing in some corn or broccoli into this.

Shel

[shel]

Originally Posted by ChefRAZ

you can sub anything for the cream or butter if you cook the florets in lowfat chicken stock or veg.

Surprise South Beach Mashed 'Potatoes' - Allrecipes

Thanks, Chef. This has given me a couple of ideas.

Shel

[Luc_H]

Hi Shel,

you can obtain mash potato texture by boiling diced celeriac (half inch-20 minutes) which, you can mash and add to the mash cauliflower.

Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke can also work.

Both celeriac and sunchokes have complex carbohydrates that are very beneficial and more healthy than potato starch.

Luc

[Mezzaluna]

I love this dish. For about six years I was eating one form or another of low carb. Now that I'm more "South Beach" in my eating, I've cut the fat by adding low fat sour cream or cream cheese, or just adding Smart Balance margarine and skipping the heavier dairy. I like Luc's suggestion of adding less starchy root veggies. I have to forego parsnips (too sugary for a pre-diabetic), but they'd be delicious in a mash as well.

[bluezebra]

shel after roasting and smashing if you need additional fluid which I don't think you will, you can even add a bit of chicken stock to loosen it up instead of butter.

Luc is right on with veggies to add to the cauli. Celeriac is awesome and have also done it with a puree of Jer Arts. very good too! I've also added some rutabaga and I've done a melange of roasted turnips, cauli and rutabaga. I have added corn when I've wanted to make a fake KFC bowl. Like Mezza I was low carb for about 6 years before developing a health problem where I've had to really restrict protein. I'm afraid I've swung to the other end and now shudder to think of my blood glucose! But that phase will be coming to an end soon and I think will end up with So Beach or the Zone back. Not sure which yet will depend on how much protein I get to have per day. Love the complex carb root veggies though! I just don't miss potatoes with them.

I also make a "cauli salad" like potato salad using the roasted cauli florets. I just follow my grandmom's original potato salad recipe and in place of the potatoes, add my roasted cauli. People actually pick it to eat over other potato salads!

[shel]

Originally Posted by Luc_H

you can obtain mash potato texture by boiling diced celeriac (half inch-20 minutes) which, you can mash and add to the mash cauliflower. Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke can also work.

Both celeriac and sunchokes have complex carbohydrates that are very beneficial and more healthy than potato starch.

Luc

Hi Luc,

Thanks so much for your sugestions. I've never had either, so I'm looking forward to trying them. Just gotta find a place that sells them and know what to look for in terms of judging freshness and good quality.

Shel

[Luc_H]

Hi Shel (you are welcome), Mezzaluna and Bluezebra,

I never make ordinary mashed potatoes anymore. I always add celeriac and/or Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes). I cannot emphasis enough how complex carbs are healthy (in my classes and column). Complex carbs are digested slowly to spare ones insulin and also it feeds microbes lower in your gut which also helps insulin and carb metabolism.

Celeriac (AKA celery root) are getting more and more popular. They keep like potatoes or in the fridge.

Sunchokes, they look like ginger roots. Place them in a sealed bag and they keep well in the refrigerator that way. In Québec and North Eastern USA, sunchokes grow wild. It was a staple starch vegetable during winter months for the Natives. I planted some in my garden this year.

other ideas: I use thinly sliced Sunchokes in my stir fry. They keep crispy like water chesnuts.

I think both of these vegetables are being rediscovered. Look for firmness, like potatoes, that's basically it for judging quality.

Good luck!
Luc

[shel]

I found some celeriac today and will definitely try it with the cauliflower, although I want to see if I can find good quality organic celeriac before buying the ones I saw today. In any case, i didn't want to buy any until I heard back from you wrt what to look for.

Thanks again to all.

Shel

[shel]

Originally Posted by bluezebra

Hi Shel! We love it. The way I do it is to break it up into medium-sized to smaller but not tiny, florets and toss lightly with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Then I roast it along with some loose (large) garlic cloves in their skins (also tossed in olive oil) at 450 degrees until browned. I stir occassionally. That takes about 20-30 minutes or a tad longer, I admit, I've never timed it. I just check every 5-8 minutes after the first 15.
[...]
Let me know if you try it and like it!

I made this tonight and LOVED it! even for a first time try. I'll definitely make it again. After puréeing it I added a couple of chopped chard leaves and a couple of small broccoli crowns, a dash of lemon juice, gave the whole thing a couple-three more pulses, and, voila, a perfect substitute for mashed potatoes. I'll often add some additional veggies to mashed potatoes for a quick and inexpensive veggie dinner- corn, carrots, peas - and make a vegetable smoosh. The cauliflower seems to lend itself to that.

Like you said, it has a nice nutty flavor ... mmmmm and Thanks! I've yet to try microwaving or steaming the cauliflower, but that'll be next. It's easier to do than roasting, and might be nice for an unplanned, last minute method for making this.

Shel

[shel]

I'm going to make this again tonight. This time, along with the garlic, I'm going to add some fennel. I'll sauté and slighly caramelize the fennel, then mix the cauli florets with that and roast the whole thing together. When done, into the Cuisinart, add a splash of lemon juice, and whirr the whole thing together, adjusting consistancy as needed. Along with the cauli will be some steamed and herbed summer squash laid out on a bed of fresh, red heirloom tomato slices. Yumm-O!

Time passes: Just finished dinner and this was sooo good. Next time I'll add a scosh more fennel and keep it separate from the cauli, adding it to the processor after the cauli is cooked. I also ended up adding 1-Tbs or so of sour cream for a little more smoothness and to adjust the consistancy.

Thanks again for this recipe and technique. It lends itself to lots of add-ins and different flavors.

Shel

[bluezebra]

Sounds divine shel! Thanks for giving us the heads up! I have done cauli many ways (steam in micro and stove top, boiling/blanching, using fresh, using frozen) and I keep coming back to the roasted method simply because of the development of the nuttiness which I can't get enough of!!

I use this cooking method for cauli that is not only pureed but also I make a cauli based curry that is lip smackin delicious. In fact, it's on the menu for tonite! I also use the roasted cauli to make a faux tato salad that makes people really excited when they taste it! They often can't figure out how I got the tatos to taste that way! LOL, there aren't any tatos in it!

[shel]

Originally Posted by bluezebra

Sounds divine shel! Thanks for giving us the heads up! I have done cauli many ways (steam in micro and stove top, boiling/blanching, using fresh, using frozen) and I keep coming back to the roasted method simply because of the development of the nuttiness which I can't get enough of!!

I use this cooking method for cauli that is not only pureed but also I make a cauli based curry that is lip smackin delicious ...

I never really cared much for cauli, but now, for some reason, I'm starting to explore the possibilities it offers. What makes cauli so good for so many techniques is that it's a pretty bland, or mild, vegetable, and it soaks up flavors like a sponge. It also goes well with many other veggies.

We can get small (almost like single-serving) cauliflower here, especially at the farmers markets, so it's not necessary to buy those large heads (another reason I didn't use much of the veg) and have half sitting in the fridge for long periods of time. I ate an entire head of cauli last night - the smaller heads are perfect for a large, single-serving portion.

I'd love to see your cauli curry. My ol' buddy, Jim Tarantino, had a recipe for Coconut Curried Cauliflower which, iirc, is outstanding. It's not been xferred to the computer yet, but that will happen soon, and I'll post the details in another thread.

Shel