Like some strange sea creature anchored to a coral reef, the cauliflower lay upon it's bed of vegetables. Baby beets, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms. I've always wanted to try roasting a whole cauliflower, imagining the texture to be meaty, like a pale steak. At the market the vendor from whom I bought the beets suggested I eat the leaves, the tenderness at it's peak while they are still young at this time of year. The cauliflower seemed almost too pretty to eat, I wanted to preserve it on the shelf in the fridge, so that each time I opened the door it would be seen in all it's glory. I could see that the lilac florets were beginning to lag, however and look a little limp, so it's time to meet it's maker had come.
Basa is one of those poor fish that is under appreciated. Ridiculously low priced, it's flesh is sweet and meaty, with dense white flakes. I would choose it over other more expensive fish any day. A little bit of internetting revealed that this fish comes from such tropical regions as Thailand. Therefore, I am assuming that this fish is big and strong enough to withstand some stewing in a curry sauce and not to disintegrate. We will see.
It was in one of Jamie Oliver's books that I first learned of the possibility of baking cauliflower whole. His was enveloped in a tomato sauce and also sat like some sea anemone, spongy and flower like.
I have been noticing how colourful my Summer cooking seems to be, thanks in part to the copious amounts of vegetables I cook. This is partly due to my obsession with consuming the prescribed amount of vitamins and minerals through the 5 - 10 a day campaign. In the UK, we are told that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day are sufficient, while here in Canada, it's 7 - 10. That's a lot of veg and I can't imagine many people being able to maintain this much on a daily basis, (Unless they are a vegetarian or absolutely determined).
All that healthiness, covered in cheese....
Resembling a sea sponge once cooked, the cauliflower lost all remnants of it's beautiful lilac edges which caramelized and charred in the more traditional brown way.
Recipe : Basa with cauliflower, roasted vegetables and mixed green stir fry.
A bit of a complicated affair this one. You can easily adapt and simplify.
Vegetables
1 small cauliflower
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 zucchini, cut into chunks
1 large bulb scallion, cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic, left whole
4 multi coloured baby beets, peeled
4 mushrooms, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
A good few twists of black pepper
A few thyme flower heads
1/4 cup grated cheese
Pre heat the oven to 425oF
Place the vegetables on a baking dish and place the cauliflower on top. Drizzle everything with the oil, season with the salt and pepper and thyme and mix everything together to coat in the oil.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
Greens
The leaves from the baby beets, stemmed and shredded
A small handful kale, stemmed and shredded
1/4 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Heat the oil and butter over a low - medium heat in a frying pan and add the beet leaves, kale and cabbage. Stir fry together until starting to wilt.
Once the roasted vegetables are done, remove to a dish and place the baking dish on which they cooked over a hob. Add the balsamic vinegar and squeeze the 2 cloves of garlic from their skins and stir into the juices in the pan. (There may not be many, you can add a little water if you like). Over gentle heat, stir together until syrupy and then pour over the greens in the frying pan. Stir well and season.
Fish
2 small Basa fillets
A few drizzles of olive oil
Salt (I used saffron and turmeric which gave it some pale yellow specks)
A little black pepper
Place the fish on a baking tray and drizzle over the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper and roast in the same 425oF oven for about 20 minutes.
When everything is nearly ready, put the roasted vegetables and cauliflower into a baking dish and sprinkle the cheese on top. Grill (broil) or bake until the cheese is golden and bubbling on top.
Serve the fish on top of the greens with the roasted cauliflower and veggies around the edges.
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