Vegetable
Cauliflower
ColiflorColiflorBrassica oleracea var. botrytis
What you eat is a mass of flowers that never got round to opening. Its bad name comes from the smell of overboiling it; roasted, it's a different vegetable.
When
Around: Oct–Mar · At its best: Nov–Feb
Around: Oct–Mar · At its best: Nov–Feb
Around: Apr–Sept · At its best: May–Aug
Around here
It's grown in the market gardens of the Baix Llobregat and the Maresme and reaches the markets in autumn and winter. The everyday Catalan way is coliflor amb patates: boiled with potato and dressed with oil and garlic, or with allioli. It's also often battered or baked with béchamel.
At the market
- A compact, hard head of even white or cream.
- No brown spots and no grainy or loosening patches.
- Ideally still wrapped in fresh green leaves: they protect it and give away its age.
- Purple, green or orange ones are varieties, not faults.
At home
- In the fridge, whole, in a loosely open bag: 5-7 days.
- Store it upside down so moisture doesn't collect between the florets.
- If dark specks appear, scrape them off and use it soon.
If you have too much
- In florets, blanched 3 minutes, chilled in iced water and frozen: up to 10-12 months.
- Pickled in vinegar, water and salt with a little turmeric or mustard seed.
- A soup with leek and potato, which freezes well too.
- The core and tender leaves go into a sofrito or stock: waste nothing.
In the kitchen
- Raw, grated like couscous into a salad with herbs and lemon.
- Coliflor amb patates, with raw olive oil and garlic, or with allioli.
- Roasted whole or in thick steaks, with cumin or paprika, until browned.
- Battered and fried as fritters.
- Baked with béchamel and cheese.
- As a soup, with a little nutmeg.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 25 kcal
- Water
- 92% water
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Sugars
- 1.9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Protein
- 1.9 g
Stands out for
- High in vitamin C48.2 mg · 60% of what you need in a day
- Source of folate57 µg · 28% of what you need in a day
- Source of vitamin K15.5 µg · 21% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- LeekOct–MarAn onion that never forms a bulb and tastes milder. The white part comes from earthing it up as it grows: the higher the soil, the longer the white.
- BroccoliOct–AprIt's a bunch of unopened flowers: leave it too long in the fridge and it yellows because it's starting to bloom. Peeled, the stalk is the sweetest part.
- PomegranateSept–DecA jewel box with hundreds of seeds. There's a trick to getting them out, and once you know it you won't stain your shirt again.