Cauliflower Marranca

Cauliflower can be controversial, apparently.  Who knew?  It seems that some people are (mistakenly - hehehe) opposed to the brassica family.  Mr P. and I on the other hand are big fans!  Give us a Brussels sprout or head of broccoli any day (though I do have a visceral dislike of the whole kale thing.  You know it's cow feed, don't you? :=))   

This recipe is from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I lived with a number of vegans and vegetarians in my younger days, and both myself and Mr P. were vegetarian for about ten years (separate to each other).  I also helped a vegan friend write a cookbook!  We did a lot of testing of recipes, with a lot of soy beans, etc.  Don't tell anyone, but I used to make them dinner some nights when they were out late at uni., and I used butter in the seaweed stew!!

I had never heard of this recipe till I flicked thru this book of Mollie's, and decided to give it a go.  She is one clever cook!  And recipe compiler, and illustrator and editor and hand-letterer ...  (But why this is called Marranca I have no idea!  Even Mr. Google doesn't seem to know!)  

  

even Bartie Bear approves!

 

Serves 6:

ingredients:

1-2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs butter

1 large onion (I chose Spanish), chopped

500g./18 oz mushrooms, sliced  (I chose white cup)

juice of 1 lemon

salt and black pepper, to taste

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets    see Notes

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 Tbs dried herbs (I chose parsley and chives)

sea salt flakes (I chose smoked) and ground black pepper, to taste

a few splashes (half a teaspoon?) of soy sauce, and of Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mushroom powder, optional

1 tsp fried shallots (optional)

500g.-600g./18 oz-21 oz cooked brown rice   see Notes

1 tsp sea salt flakes

1-2 Tbs butter

250g./9 oz vintage (tasty) cheese, grated

grab your grater!

Method:

Heat up the oil and butter in a large frying pan, and add the chopped onion

Stir it around for a few minutes, then add the sliced mushies with the lemon juice

Add some salt and pepper, stir it around and let it cook gently till the veggies are soft and tender

Tip them out onto a plate or bowl, while you add a wee bit more oil or butter, and add the cauliflower florets into the frypan

Stir in the chopped garlic, and add the herbs, salt and pepper, the sauces and the mushroom powder, and fried shallots

Let it cook away till tender, giving the occasional stir

Throw on the salt and butter to your cooked rice (or not, if you used seasoned rice in a pouch)

Now tip everything into a large mixing bowl, and give it a good stir

Don't forget the grated cheese!  And some extra herbs if you wish

Spoon into a baking tray (mine is about 30cm X 24cm), which you lined with baking paper

Bake for about 25 minutes at 180C/350F with alfoil on top, then take off the alfoil and bake for another 5 or 10 minutes till golden on top

Serve with salad or a meat dish!

a head of cauliflower

Notes:

Mollie gives cup measurements for everything, so she says to use 2.5 cups cheese (which is 100g. per cup = 250g. all up, Google tells me).  And cooked rice is about 200g./7 oz per cup, and Mollie says to use 3 cups ...  

So cook up your rice in your preferred method!  Or use pouches of seasoned rice as I did (yes I confess!)

cauliflower and cheese 

gather your ingredients (yep, I threw in some fried shallots too)

cook till tender

then cook your cauli till tender

tip everything into a large bowl

spread the mixture out in the baking dish, and throw on some more herbs

baked for about half an hour at 180C/350F

have with a salad or add some meat if you fancy

Run! ... says the little mushie to the other ...

soy sauce or Tamari

Mollie believes in minimal instructions, it seems :=)