Purple Cauliflower spread

November 1, 2019 Published by Dina

 


Purple cauliflower is not always available but when it is at the market I grab it, if only for its colour. I like mixing the white, yellow and purple cauliflowers in salad, roasting them or making soup with one or two colours together.

This purple dude was sitting in my fridge and I just didn’t get around to it so finally I thought I’d roast it and make a beautiful purple dip or spread with it. The colour darkened after roasting but still maintained a nice vibrancy.

To make the spread I placed the roasted florets in the food processor with olive oil, salt, a small clove of garlic (could omit that) and a handful of fresh chives and started processing, adding as much oil as was necessary to keep it moving. It seemed like it was taking forever and I stopped the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides, but eventually it reached the consistency that I like (not too smooth, with a bit of texture). You can adjust the seasoning when you remove it from the processor. The dip was nice and bright.

To make it creamier I blended some of it with cashew cream. I was watching one of those health shows on Netflix and it made me not want to cook with dairy, for a while at lease, hence the cashew cream and not sour cream, but suit yourself. Sour cream would probably make it more tangy which is nice.

I served it with flatbread (a few recipes here), and quick pickled vegetables (recipe here). This would make a good dish for company or a nice snack for yourself or your family.

The colourful pottery platter in the image is courtesy of Shelley of Blue Apple Studio, a pottery studio where I have been taking classes. It’s so much fun, a truly organic experience to sit at the pottery wheel and throw (not sure I am using the correct terminology).

This is a no recipe type of thing but here are the general directions:


Ingredients:


1 head purple cauliflower

A handful fresh chives, or green onion

Olive oil as needed

Salt and pepper


Directions:


aBreak the cauliflower into florets, toss with olive oil and salt and roast in 400F oven until cooked through.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Place florets and chives in a food processor with about a 1/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper and begin processing. You may need to stop the processor a few times and scrape it down to the blade with a spatula. It took me a while to get the consistency i wanted, not too smooth, with a bit of texture.

Remove from processor and taste. Adjust the seasoning.

To combine with cashew cream add cashew cream to the dip and mix, not blending it completely, allowing a few streaks of white and purple to remain.

Serve with flatbread and quick pickled vegetables.


Cashew cream:


2 cups cashews

Boiling water

1 cup water or as needed

1 dates

1 teaspoon lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Soak cashews in boiling water for a couple of hours or overnight.

Drain and discard water.

Place cashews in a blender with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. You may need to add a bit more water but be careful not ot add too much. It should have the consistency of whipped cream.



 



 

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