Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto (Vegan)

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto – Veganised

Peruvian-style quinoa risotto with smoked cheese, roasted cauliflower and baby corn.
I first had this dish at Las Iguanas and loved it so much that I had to recreate it myself!

This became one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and it’s not surprising. This is such an accomplished dish, with complex flavours. It is amazing how quinoa can become so creamy & delicious! I cook this dish quite often for myself, but I also find it great for entertaining; always gets raving reviews.

Following your feedback, I have veganised and simplified the recipe, without any comprise on taste. I hope you enjoy this improved version. Remember to tag @apinchofzing on Instagram if you give it a go.

Ingredients

• Olive oil for roasting and frying
• 1 large cauliflower
• 175g baby corn
• 2 Echalion shallots – chopped
• 2 garlic cloves – finely chopped
• 1 cup of quinoa (rinsed)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 & 3/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 tablespoons Oatly creme fraiche
• 100g Applewood vegan smoked cheese – grated
• 165g sweet corn (from a can)
• Ancho chilli flakes
• Coriander
• Puffed quinoa (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces.
2. Roast the cauliflower and the baby corn with olive oil and a salt, at gas mark 7 for about 30 minutes (until golden brown and fully cooked).
3. While waiting for the vegetables to roast, heat a frying pan with some olive oil and sweat the chopped shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the quinoa and cook for 5 minutes to toast the grain.
5. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced.
6. Pour in the vegetable stock and stir from time to time until the liquid has been absorbed. My vegetable stock was salty already, so I did not add more salt, but make sure to taste and adjust to your taste.
7. In a blender, add half of the roasted cauliflower and the soy milk and whiz until smooth, to make a cauliflower puree.
9. Once the quinoa has absorbed the vegetable stock, stir in the cauliflower puree, Oatly creme fraiche, vegan smoked cheese & the can of sweet corn.
10. Remove from heat. Add chopped coriander and Ancho chilly flakes (regular chilli flakes will be fine too). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with roasted cauliflower, roasted baby corn, chilli flakes and more coriander. Puffed quinoa is also a nice garnish. Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto

Cauliflower Cornish Blue cheese soup

Makes 6-8 servings

Comfort food at its best! Creamy cauliflower soup, with the richness of Cornish Blue cheese and warming notes of Cayenne & black pepper.

The story behind this soup started in Carbis Bay, where my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary.  I absolutely love Carbis Bay; it has a unique charm that is hard to describe. The golden sandy beaches and the most surreal blue water, make it look beautiful even in the rain.

We had a wonderful dinner in an establishment that prides itself with using fresh local (Cornish) produce. That was the first time I had the Cauliflower Cornish Blue cheese soup, and because I couldn’t stop thinking about it I recreated the recipe by adapting a classic cauliflower cheese soup recipe from BBC Good Food.

Cauliflower soup can be quite bland, so for a pinch of zing make sure to add plenty of  Cornish Blue cheese, Cayenne & black pepper.
If you can’t get Cornish Blue cheese where you live, try replacing it with your favourite blue cheese.

Ingredients

• A knob of butter
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon lazy garlic
• 1 cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 1 potato (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 700ml vegetable stock
• 400ml milk
• 3 dry bay leafs
• Nutmeg – a pinch
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 150g Cornish Blue cheese

Method
1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Tip in the onion and garlic and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the cauliflower florets, potato chunks, vegetable stock, milk and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the cauliflower & potato are very soft (about 30 minutes). Remove the saucepan from heat and remove the bay leafs before the next step.
3. Add the contents of the saucepan to the food processor in 2-3 batches (depending on the size of your food processor) with 100g of chopped Cornish Blue cheese. Keep the rest of the Cornish Blue cheese for serving.
4. Whizz until you get a creamy, thick soup. Serve with more Cornish Blue cheese, cayenne & black pepper. Enjoy this heart warming soup!

Cauliflower ‘steak’ burgers

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower ‘steak’ burgers

Cauliflower ‘steak’ burgers

Cauliflower ‘steak’ burgers

 

Cauliflower burgers are a great vegetarian option: crunchy on the outside, juicy and full of texture on the inside.  With only a few ingredients, this recipe really celebrates cauliflower.

Let me start by managing your expectations and say that this burger does not taste like steak, despite being called a cauliflower ‘steak’ burger. The burger resembles a steak in shape and the way the cauliflower is generously sliced.

I was keen to try this recipe because it is very similar to a dish that my mum makes for me. However, since my mum lives in a different part of the world, I wasn’t going to have this anytime soon unless I made it myself.
I always found the thought of having to fry cauliflower daunting because of its irregular shape.  Instead of cutting the cauliflower like steaks, my mum breaks it down into florets that she coats in batter and deep fries. According to my husband they resembles chicken nuggets.

Cutting the cauliflower into steaks makes it the perfect shape for a burger, but also gives it flat surfaces that will cook evenly. I found these burgers easy to make and very tasty, so I am keen to make them again. The cauliflower ‘steaks’ are versatile, so you can make the burgers your own by using your favourite toppings. I used avocado and a Romanian creamy salad (Salata de boeuf) that I can best describe as slightly resembling coleslaw, but that’s a recipe for another day.

Ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower head
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• Oil for frying
• Salt & Pepper to taste

* for serving use burger buns with a combination of your favourite toppings: coleslaw, mayo, ketchup, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, salad etc.

Method
1. Prep the cauliflower: remove leaves, but be sure to leave most of the cauliflower stalk intact for its shape to hold once sliced. Cut the cauliflower in half. Place the flat side down and cut into thick slices, about 2cm.
I only managed to get 4-5 cauliflower steaks out of a small cauliflower, the rest of it didn’t hold together and broke into smaller pieces. Not an issue, I used the rest of the small pieces to make another batch of battered cauliflower – chicken nuggets style.
2.  Place the cauliflower slices in a pot of boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes, until slightly tender. Don’t overcook the cauliflower at this stage to prevent it from disintegrating. Remove and place on a paper towel to dry.
3. In a shallow bowl, beat two eggs with 1 tablespoon of flour, salt and pepper. Line up the cauliflower steaks, a plate with flour, the shallow bowl with the egg mixture and a plate with breadcrumbs. Heat a frying pan with cooking oil over a medium flame.
4. Season the cauliflower steaks, coat them in flour, dip them in the egg mixture, coat them in flour again, dip them in the egg mixture and coat them in the breadcrumbs. Add to the frying pan and shallow fry on each side until golden brown. Transfer the cooked cauliflower steaks on plate covered with a kitchen paper towel for the excess oil to be absorbed.
5. Get creative and make the burger your own!

Thanks for the inspiration go to Noshon.it and my mum!

 

Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto – Veganised

Peruvian-style quinoa risotto with smoked cheese, roasted cauliflower and baby corn.
I first had this dish at Las Iguanas and loved it so much that I had to recreate it myself!

This became the most popular recipe on my blog, and it’s not surprising. This is such an accomplished dish with complex flavours. It is amazing how quinoa can become so creamy & delicious! I cook this dish quite often for myself, but I also find it great for entertaining; always gets raving reviews.

Recipe veganised as requested, without any comprise on taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Garlic & chilli olive oil for roasting and frying
• 1 tablespoon Flora Buttery for frying
• 1 large cauliflower
• 175g baby corn
• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 Echalion shallots – chopped
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 & 3/4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons Oatly creme fraiche
• 100g Applewood vegan smoked cheese – grated
• 165g sweet corn (from a can)
• Ancho chilli flakes
• Coriander
• Puffed quinoa (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces.
2. Roast half of the cauliflower and the baby corn with olive oil and a salt, at gas mark 7 for about 30 minutes (until golden brown and fully cooked).
3. Fry the other half of the cauliflower in the garlic and chilli olive oil until golden brown. Season with salt. Add the cup of soy milk and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Pour the cauliflower and soy milk in a blender and whiz until smooth. Return the cauliflower puree to the pan it was cooked in and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.
5. Heat a frying pan, add a tablespoon of Flora Buttery and a tablespoon of olive oil and sweat the chopped shallots for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the quinoa and cook for a further 5 minutes to toast the grain.
7. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced.
8. Pour in the vegetable stock in bit by bit and stir until the liquid has been absorbed. My vegetable stock was salty already, so I did not add more salt, but make sure to taste and adjust to your taste.
9. Stir in the cauliflower puree, Oatly creme fraiche, vegan smoked cheese & the can of sweet corn.
10. Remove from heat. Add chopped coriander and Ancho chilly flakes (regular chilli flakes will be fine too) to taste.
10. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with roasted cauliflower, baby corn, chilli flakes and more coriander. Puffed quinoa is also a nice garnish (if you can find it in shops). Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto