Cauliflower is a favorite vegetable in my family, especially roasted to a crispy brown in a hot oven. This week’s recipe deviates from the family norm due to medical reasons. No worries! Nothing more serious than dental surgery for me, which included (along with a prescription for pain meds), instructions to eat pureed and soft foods for at least a week. By day four I was over the oatmeal, vegan yogurt, noodle soup thing.
I wanted vegetables!!
So, Sunday I headed to the Farmer’s Market planning on loading up on sweet potatoes for a big mash when a gorgeous pile of multicolored cauliflower greeted me at Gaytan Family Farm table. The orange cauliflower, in particular, I know is super sweet. Aha! I’ll make a big mash of cauliflower. I’d seen recipes but had never tried it. Roasted always won out.
I bought 2 big glorious heads. I also picked up a few baby potatoes to act as a thickener and a big bulb of garlic, figuring that mashed cauliflower was going to need some help to not seem bland and watery.
That evening, I got to work cleaning and breaking up the heads into small florets to be steamed on the stove. Because I bought 2 large heads so I would have plenty to eat for the week, I needed to steam and process the mash in two batches. Then I put it all together in a Dutch oven to reheat gently on the stove. If you only want to make one head of cauliflower, then simply cut the recipe in half. I will say that once processed, cauliflower does break down to a smaller amount than expected. Take that into consideration if making this for more than 4 people. You will definitely want 2 heads.
The result was a sweet, creamy version of cauliflower with a texture reminiscent of polenta, probably due to adding the potatoes as well as steaming as opposed to boiling the cauliflower. I highly recommend steaming so the veggies aren’t water logged.
Refrigerate any leftovers, which are delicious for a few days. The mash reheats well in the microwave.
Buttery Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic and Parmesan:
2 heads gold cauliflower, cored, washed and broken into small florets
4 baby Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
4 T salted vegan butter
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup warmed full fat plant milk
½ tsp kosher salt or to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper
½ cup vegan shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Steam the cauliflower and potatoes over vigorously simmering water for 10-15 minutes or until very tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter until foamy, and add the garlic. Cook the garlic about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, being very careful not to brown. Turn off heat and set aside. Once the veggies are cooked, place half of the steamed cauliflower/potato mix, as well as half of the other ingredients, in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides, until smooth and creamy. Put that batch in a small Dutch oven. Process the other half of all ingredients and put in the Dutch oven. Gently reheat over a low flame, adding a bit more warmed plant milk if it needs some thinning. Top with lots of cracked pepper and additional vegan Parmesan. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers.
