Cauliflower is not everyone’s favorite vegetable, I know. Daughter of a close friend put it bluntly when she was only 2, by saying “Please mom, I can’t eat flowers or trees” when offered cauliflower for the first time. For some, it is the sight of this pretty vegetable, for others it is the smell that is off-putting. For me, cauliflower is one of those saponin-flavored beautiful winter vegetables. Au gratin and this medley recipe I’m giving here are the two most common ways of cooking cauliflower in Turkey.
Ingredients:
100 g butter
1/2 kg minced beef
2 medium carrots, diced into cubes
1 table spoon of red pepper paste (substitute w/ tomato paste if not available)
1 medium size head of cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups of boiling water
2 teaspoons of salt
Melt butter in a pot. Add minced meat and carrots, stir on medium heat until meat is brown. Add pepper paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Throw in the cauliflower florets and tomato, stir for a few minutes and add boiling water and salt. Cover the pot and bring the heat to the lowest setting. Cook until the carrots and cauliflower are al dente or more depending on your liking. Serve with bread and a dollop of yogurt.
