I had a cauliflower and some leeks in my refrigerator so I searched for a recipe that uses those vegetables on the web and came across chef Pollyanna Coupland’s recipe. I found her recipe interesting and different. I kept her recipe mostly the same except for the cheese sauce. I thought everything was delicious and I never would have thought of roasting the cauliflower with all that lemon with all these flavors the recipe has….It is delicious. I am glad that I found her recipe so that I could have what I came out with. Her recipe says that it makes two servings……..maybe this is considered a whole meal? I guess it could be? It also depends on the size of your cauliflower. I find that the cauliflowers at the store differ GREATLY in size. Another little thing that I did different was cutting the cauliflower into florets…I like eating the cauliflower better that way. chef Coupland’s recipe serves you a full half a cauliflower on your plate so you can eat it like a steak. This recipe takes two days to make because the pickled leeks need to pickle for two days. Servings will differ. This recipe makes 2-4 servings. I think for most people that you will get 4 servings out of a cauliflower.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 bundle leek (this could be one big one, two smaller ones ((that is what I used)) or even three tiny ones)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

scant 1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt + more salt to salt the leeks

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

1 cauliflower – I broke mine down to florets but the original recipe has the cauliflower cut in half

2 pinches of thyme chopped

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 lemon juice and zest

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt – to taste to season cauliflower

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

9 oz sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

3 oz brie cheese cubed small

1.5 oz havarti cheese shredded

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

bay leaf

1/4 cup corn starch

2 cups non-fat milk

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

dash hot sauce

liquid smoke and or smoked salt to taste (I used both)

2 Tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons roasted hazelnuts (lightly crushed)

2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

fresh chives to finish

Directions

Slice the leeks into rings and sprinkle with salt. Leave the salt on for ten minutes and then rinse off. Chef Coupland says that this will help to keep the leeks crisp.

Combine the vinegar, water, thyme, sugar, salt, mustard seeds in a pan and heat till the salt has dissolved.

Blanch the leeks in boiling water for 20 seconds and then place the leeks in ice water. Squeeze off all the liquid from the leeks and then place them in the pickling solution. Make sure the leeks are submerged for two days in the refrigerator. I find that this is easiest to use a quart ziplock bag but you can use whatever.

After two days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

If you are doing florets….Get a large mixing bowl and combine the oil, thyme, lemon juice, zest, , salt to taste, white pepper and the cauliflower mix well. If you are doing two halves. Mix the oil, thyme, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and rub it all over the cauliflower. Roast the cauliflower on a sheet tray for 20-30 minutes.

Next make the cheese sauce.

In a small bowl or cup mix together the milk and cornstarch. Put a sauce pot on medium high with the buttered bay leaf. When the butter is almost melted add the milk/cornstarch mixture. Use a whisk and stir until the mixture is thickened and is boiling. Turn down the heat to low. Take off the heat and gradually add all the cheese….mix till smooth. Use the low burner if needed…..Add the mustard, hot sauce, smoke flavoring, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Take off heat.

Toast nuts

Serve however you like. Cauliflower with the cheese sauce over or under. Top with nuts, the pickled leeks and some fresh chives.

ENJOY!

A special THANKS!!!!! to chef Polly Coupland for her Forking amazing recipe so that I could make this plate.

I subscribe to Milk Street Magazine. They sent me a recipe in an email called carrot-lime soup with cilantro that they say is a riff on a recipe by Alice Walters. I happened to have carrots and parsnips that I needed to use up so I thought this recipe seemed great since it comes out to be a creamy rich soup that is WITHOUT butter and cream. I made very slight changes. You can’t change this up too much because carrot doesn’t have a strong flavor. My biggest change wasn’t on purpose to change the recipe…I didn’t have enough carrots and happened to have parsnips to use. I think I might have accidentally improved the flavor with parsnips but parsnips can be difficult and sometimes you really need to remove the woody core they sometimes have. I also substituted onion for shallots and added a few garlic cloves. I thought a little added white pepper and a small pinch of cinnamon would be good so I added that too.

Ingredients for around 4 smaller servings

1 lb carrots – peeled, cut up in smaller pieces

3 large parsnips or around 1/2 lb parsnips (you might need to remove woody cores of parsnips. Peel and cut into smaller pieces

3 garlic cloves – chop

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving

2 Tablespoons cilantro + 1/2 cup – chopped

1 lime zest & juice separated

2 jalapeños – stem and core removed – small chopped and separate (you need one for the soup and one for the garnish)

1 sweet onion – minced and divided in half

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

small pinch cinnamon

optional some sour cream or crema for serving

Directions

In a large sauce pot heat up the oil till it is shimmering. Add the carrots, parsnips, 2 Tablespoons cilantro, lime zest, one jalapeño, 1/2 the onion, coriander, salt, stirring occasionally. Cover till vegetables are fork tender. Add 4-5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the remaining jalapeño, onion, cilantro and lime juice. season with salt and pepper. Set to the side. The soup is ready to puree…Be careful when using a blender. It is safer to use a blending wand. Taste and adjust if necessary.

Serve with cold vegetable garnish, a little olive oil and optional sour cream or crema.

Enjoy!

A special thanks to Milk Street to get me off my ass to prepare this healthy style soup that I needed to make.

I had a couple mangos and some cabbage that I needed to use up and that is how I came up with this recipe.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1/2 small cabbage – shredded

1 small onion (I used a red one) – fine slice and then chop

1 carrot shredded

2 small mangos (mine were small) thin slices

1 orange – supreme if you can – or chop

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon fish sauce (preferably Red Boat)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons pure honey

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and only the fine stems) – chop

2 Tablespoons scallions or chives – sliced thin

Optional – pickled baby bell pepper rings ( I have a 12 ingredient recipe for pickled baby bell peppers on TheForkingTruth.com or you can simply do a less complex version of just slicing the baby bell peppers extra thin and just let them marinate in apple cider vinegar for a couple hours on the counter or over night in the refrigerator.

Directions in a large mixing bowl add the lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, honey and red pepper flakes and mix well. To that bill add the cabbage, onion, carrot, mango, orange, cilantro, and scallions (or chives) and mix that up. Add pickled baby bell pepper rings if using.

Enjoy!