Le chou-fleur

Quand on parle d?alimentation, généralement, la règle nous dit que les légumes de couleur foncée sont bon pour la santé, les légumes de couleur claire, moins bon. Pensez-vous à la laitue, la farine, la guimauve. Mais, si on considère le chou-fleur, on voit l?exception à la règle. Le chou-fleur est plein de vitamines et d?autres substances bonnes pour la santé.

Le chou-fleur se marie très bien avec du fromage. J?affiche une très bonne recette, et parfaite pour l?hiver.

Macaroni au chou-fleur

500 ml (2 tasses) macaroni grains entiers
½ chou-fleur moyen
1 oignon blanc, tranché
2 cuillères à soupe d?huile d?olive
50 g de beurre
2 cuillères à soupe de farine
150 ml de lait
250 ml (1 tasse) de Gouda, râpé
Au choix, et selon vos goûts, ajouter de la moutarde, du poivre moulu, du sel ou du cayenne.

1. Hacher finement le tronçon du chou-fleur et séparer la tête en petites fleurettes.

2. Dans une grande casserole d?eau salée bouillante, ajouter les macaronis et les laisser cuire pendant 5 minutes, pas plus. Ajouter le chou-fleur et laisser cuire 5 minutes de plus. Vider l?eau.

3. Dans une poêle, faire adoucir l?oignon dans l?huile d?olive pendant 5 minutes, et ajouter le beurre et le lait. Ajouter la farine et bien remuer.

4. Ajouter la moutarde, sel, poivre, et cayenne selon votre choix. Laisser cuire quelques minutes, puis ajouter le fromage et le laisser fondre.

5. Servir les pâtes avec la sauce de fromage sur le dessus.

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Cauliflower

Isn?t the rule of nutritious eating to eat deep, rich colors, and avoid pale, whitish colors ? Think iceberg lettuce, bleached flour, marshmallows. Cauliflower is a clear exception to the rule. It?s packed with vitamins and compounds that benefit the health, and has a very high nutritional density.

To boot, cauliflower has a high fractal dimension.

I?m attaching a superb recipe, surprisingly from Rachel Ray, whom I would not usually describe as superb. She picks up on the perfect marriage between cauliflower and cheese here, though. Because you?ll cook the pasta and cauliflower together (which saves a lot of time), make sure to cook the pasta no more than 5 minutes before adding the cauliflower, otherwise the pasta will end up overcooked.

The second recipe is a curry, which is also perfectly suited for cauliflower. The curry tints the cauliflower a beautiful yellow color, and the lentils give the curry the perfect texture.

Mac-n-Smoked Gouda with Cauliflower

from Rachel Ray, Food Network

pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped pasta)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
3 cups shredded smoked Gouda
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to the pot.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and heat with the butter until it melts. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to sweat them out and turn the juices sweet. Raise the heat a bit, then whisk in the flour, cayenne, and paprika. Whisk together until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the cheese to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour over the cauliflower and cooked pasta and toss to combine.

Cauliflower Lentil Curry

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 medium fresh green chile, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons curry powder (eyeball it according to your taste)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dried red lentils
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2-1 cup water
cooked white rice, for serving

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and chile and cook until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add curry powder and salt, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.
2. Add lentils, cauliflower, stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils and cauliflower and tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes.
3. Serve over rice.