Friday, July 30, 2010

Cauliflower "Couscous" with Lemon-Basil Sauce


I got this idea from watching Top Chef D.C. . I though it was a really cool idea to make a couscous out of a veggie. I though it was a nice way to make a side that is not a starch and not just a boring veggie. I changed some of the amounts around. I felt it needed more sauce on it so I put some more on at the end. I also didn't have lemons in the house so I used limes instead. Since I find lime a bit stronger then lemons I put in more maple syrup to cut the tartness of it.
Shayna

For the Lemon- Basil Sauce
10 large ( 1 cup loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
Zest and juice of 2 lemons -- I used 2 limes instead
1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil- or just regular olive oil
2 tbls of maple syrup (add more if you like it sweeter)

For the Couscous
1 tbls unsalted butter/marg
1 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced, shallots also works well
1 medium head cauliflower, cut off the stalks and stems then dice the florets
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Lemon-Basil sauce
2 tbls fresh basil chiffonade for the garnish

Directions
Combine the basil, lemon zest and juice, oil and maple syrup in a blender, or use a hand mixer. Puree and transfer it to a jar with a tight lid. You can keep the sauce in the fridge for about 7-10 days. The extra sauce would be great on a pasta as well.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wok or frying pan on a high heat. The pan has to be large enough to hold all the cauliflower.
Add the cauliflower and stir it thoroughly. Add salt and pepper liberally, and cook until the cauliflower softens. It takes around 10 minutes.
Add 2 tbls of sauce and cook it until its tender and smells delicious. Once again that should take around 10 minutes. If the salt needs adjusting then do that. I found that it didn't need more salt. Add the remaining 2 tbls of the sauce and mix well. Take it out of the pan and put it into a serving bowl. Taste it to see if you need to add more sauce. I added at least another 2 tbls of the sauce.
You can add the basil chiffonade as a garnish before serving.

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