How to cook cauliflower? 3 easy and delicious recipes

Cauliflower is one of the most popular vegetables and this is because it has an excellent taste as well as versatile, which can perfectly accompany various dishes. In general, for some people there is a common drawback when cooking cauliflower, this is the smell that it gives off that is not considered very pleasant.

Here you can learn how to prevent cauliflower from leaving an odor that is not pleasant for you and learn about different ways to prepare it, combining it with different dishes so that you can experiment with the one you like the most.

Cooking unscented cauliflower

As with any vegetable, if you are going to prepare cauliflower the main thing will always be to clean it completely and make sure that it does not have traces of soil or other residues. It should be noted that sometimes some stems may have small white worms and greenish tones, these should only be removed since they are simply typical of cauliflower. Ideally, separate the cauliflower into florets to completely clean all its parts.

If it is to your liking, you can also use a peeler on the stem, taking advantage of the interior and discarding the entire exterior. As for the cooking method so that it does not have odor, you can opt for two alternatives:

1. First, you can cook it in a quick cooker. To do this you must place 300ml of water and boil it together with the cauliflower in parts. Then, you must proceed to cover the pot and put the fire at the highest temperature ; you should wait about 5 minutes for two rings to appear in the pot indicating that it is boiling, which announces that there are another 3 minutes left. When this time elapses you must remove the pot from the heat and wait for the pressure to drop; once this happens, you can remove the odorless cauliflower.
2. The second option is microwave cooking. This almost completely prevents the release of the bad smell, resembling a steam cooking . To cook the cauliflower there you need a microwave-safe container with a lid ; You must place the cauliflower pieces inside, leaving a small opening for the steam to escape. The cauliflower should cook between 5 to 6 minutes depending on the power of the microwave, the type of container and the amount of cauliflower you are preparing. It is advisable to feel the cauliflower until you find its ideal doneness for you.

Recipes for cooking cauliflower

In the event that you do not want to follow the previous methods, you can also choose to boil the cauliflower as you normally would, complying with cutting it into pieces and washing it very well. Below, you will be able to see some recipes that will help you expand your menu and experiment much more in the kitchen.

Cauliflower with cheese sauce

This is an excellent recipe as a main dish, a side dish, and even as an ingredient in another dish (a lasagna for example) and requires only 4 ingredients :

• A whole cauliflower.
• Milk, between 300 and 400 milliliters (The measurements will come in proportion to the cauliflower).
• Cheese, about 250 grams (This should be easy to melt and gratin).
• Sal.

The process is fairly straightforward, making it a perfect recipe for a beginner in the kitchen. The first thing before starting is to have your cauliflower prepared (boiled or whatever you like), then you proceed to place your oven to preheat to 180 ° C.

After doing this, the next thing is to start preparing the cheese sauce ; for this, both the milk and the cheese must be placed in a pot and cooked over low heat. It is necessary to pay close attention as the milk could overflow and this has to be avoided; You should stir the sauce at all times and make sure it thickens as the cheese melts.

When the cheese is completely melted, the next thing is to place the drained cauliflower on a tray and serve the sauce on top, then it will be baked until the top is golden, indicating that the dish is ready.

Steamed cauliflower and gratin potatoes

To prepare this dish, several ingredients are needed and it is ideal for cooks with a little more experience. What is necessary is:

• A whole cauliflower.
• Three potatoes.
• Three cloves of garlic.
• Grated cheese
• Curry.
• Sweet paprika.
• Extra virgin olive oil.
• Sal.

The first thing to prepare this dish is to cook the potatoes with salt to taste, preferably as soft as they can be since they must then be mashed. For its part, the cauliflower should be steamed until it finishes al dente without being too soft or too crunchy (It should also be cut into bunches).

In a frying pan you must fry the garlic using the olive oil; When it has slightly browned, you should remove it from the heat and mix it with two tablespoons of crushed sweet paprika. This mixture will be added to the potatoes in a large bowl. Once at this point, the potato should be mashed like a puree, integrating the oil, garlic and paprika as well as possible.

Finally, we place the ingredients on a tray to gratin them, we start by placing the puree as a base with the cauliflower on top; If you like, you can add some bechamel-style sauce on top; You can also grate cheese on top. Then it remains to grill for 10 minutes at 180 ° with the oven reheated and when it acquires a golden hue, the dish is ready to be served.

Cauliflower pizza crust

This dish is an excellent low-calorie alternative, requires very little to prepare (not counting the ingredients we want to add on top) and takes very little time. To make the base you need:

• An egg.
• A cauliflower.
• Grated cheese
• Chives
• Salt.

As for the preparation, the first step is to preheat the oven to 200 ° C ; then proceed to scratch the cauliflower in a microwave-resistant container where it will be placed later, there it must be heated for 8 minutes at a power of 800W. When you remove it, the cheese, chives and salt will be integrated, stirring until everything is well mixed.

After this, the egg is added to get a more homogeneous dough, which will be placed on a tray spreading it in the shape of a circle. It is baked for 20 minutes and then the ingredients of your preference are placed (Tomato sauce, more cheese, meat, among others). Then it will take another 10 minutes to the oven; in the end, it only remains to cut it and it is ready to be served.

With all the recipes shown, it will be very easy to prepare cauliflower at home in a simple way, always obtaining tasty and healthy results . You no longer have an excuse to leave this vegetable off your menu and experience new things.