Cauliflower has grown in popularity and there are now so many cauliflower recipes to prepare. When freshly harvested and locally grown, the taste is so mild and fantastically good that you don't have to follow a complicated recipe. Break the cauliflower florets and add them to a salad with a good dressing or cook the florets slightly soft, sprinkle with a few grains of salt and a little butter. But it's not just the taste that gives the cauliflower a prominent place in the vegetable drawer. Its incredible health benefits have spread far and wide.
Cauliflower is a vegetable rich in vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and important soluble fiber. Many fruits and vegetables contain plant-based so-called phytonutrients, which make them colorful. Many are also important antioxidants, but not all are fresh. Phyto is the Greek word for plant. The plants produce phytonutrients to promote their own growth and protect themselves from cell damage and disease. Phytonutrients can protect against cardiovascular disease, among other things, because of their role as antioxidants.
Cauliflower belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family and lacks the green chlorophyll found in other vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale because the florets are protected from the sun by the plant's leaves as they grow. But the nutrients are amazing and can help boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer. Cauliflower contains a compound called allicin that protects the plant from pest infestation and has been shown to boost the immune system in humans. Cauliflower also contains glucosinules, which are sulfur-like substances that are broken down into isothiocyanates and indoles, which are active substances when chewing fresh cabbage, some can also be formed in the gut. Both isothiocyanates and indoles can help the body detoxify and thus protect against the development of cancer. It is important that we do not forget the white vegetables when we mix healthy and eat vegetables in different colors every day.
As the name suggests, it is the flower of the plant we eat. Cauliflower is sensitive and needs to be handled with care, so leave the tops when harvesting the cabbage. During part of the 20th century, cauliflower was common as a cooked hot vegetable as an accompaniment to meat dishes or in cheese au gratin, including in Indian dishes. During the summer and fall there is freshly harvested Dutch cauliflower that is soft and round in taste and texture. Use it, for example, in an easy-to-prepare cauliflower soup that is rounded off with a splash of cream. The soup is usually loved by young and old. Boil a large head of cauliflower with a little stock + a little milk, and it will be white and fine. Mix, season and stir in a little cream. Heat and serve with something green in it. Also enjoy the mild cauliflower in a salad. Divide a head of cauliflower into florets and boil for 1-2 minutes in lightly salted water. Wash and divide a bunch of radishes, coarsely chop ½ dl hazelnuts. Mix them with cauliflower and dried berries in a bowl or on a platter. Stir 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar and tablespoon honey mustard together with 3 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
