C – To me, cauliflower is a bit overrated.
Do you like it? Could you eat it every day? Cauliflower is like kale a few years ago. It’s everywhere. Make pizza crust with it. Make vegan “buffalo wings.” Make cauliflower mashed “potatoes.” Make cauliflower “rice.” It just doesn’t compete with the real stuff.
I am not hating cauliflower. I mean, we’ve done an entire week of it. I just think broccoli tastes better. I don’t need to hide it in things. Broccoli has more flavor.
So, when I was asked to do cauliflower week, I still had to hide it in things. No, I am not going to roast a whole head of cauliflower in the oven and call it dinner. I did the steak cauliflower thing, but loved the chimichurri way more than the roasted cauliflower.
I get that cauliflower’s flavorless profile is a good thing when you put sauce all over it. When I buy cauliflower it usually goes uneaten … on the verge of throwing away. I had to find a solution not to waste the sucker. Throwing it in soup is always disappointing for me. Tasteless. I usually taste herbs or stock more than the cauliflower.
The best solution … frying it with batter. Make some crispy fritters and have a great dipping sauce. That’s definitely the way to go. These things were amazing and the cauliflower is good in it. Tender cauliflower with chewy corn kernels and lots of other flavorful vegetables makes cauliflower a lot more interesting.
| Cauliflower Week 2016: Cauliflower and Corn Fritters |
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1 ear of corn, kernels only
- 1 cup red onion, sliced thinly and cut across a few times.
- ½ Fresno chili with seeds, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all purpose flour or gluten free flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp paprika
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tbsp seltzer water
- Canola oil for frying
- In a large bowl, place all the ingredients except the oil for frying. Mix well and set aside for about 5 minutes, so the ingredients can combine and vegetables can release some water.
- Meanwhile, place an inch of oil into a heavy pan. Heat on medium high or until it reaches 350 degrees.
- Once the oil is up to temperature, place a tablespoon at a time of the fritter mix into the oil. Don’t over crowd when placing them into the pan. Work in a few batches. Cook until they turn golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total.
- Remove from pan and place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Sprinkle some more salt on top.
- Serve with dipping sauce of your choice. We used fresh ranch dressing.
- Enjoy!
They are light, crispy and pretty addicting. It’s not the healthiest dish to make. But, to not throw away old cauliflower makes it a winner.
I am sorry for giving cauliflower such a bad rap. I am just not a big fan plain. But, add it into a fritter and I am all over it.