Charred Cauliflower Stew
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2heads cauliflower (about 2 pounds each)
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill
- ¼cup lemon juice
- Salt
- 1cup diced Spanish onions (about 1 small onion)
- ¼cup minced garlic (about 8 large cloves)
- 1½tablespoons ground coriander
- 1tablespoon ground mustard
- Pinch of cayenne
- ½cup peeled and diced parsnip (about 1 small parsnip)
- ½cup diced celery (about 2 small stalks)
- 2cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound potatoes)
- 8cups vegetable stock or water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1cup watercress
- ½cup grated Cheddar cheese
- ¼cup minced tarragon
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
313 calories; 15 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 1784 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the grill to high and lightly oil the grates, if you'd like, to make cleanup easier. (Or, if you don’t have a grill, heat the broiler to high and lightly oil a baking sheet.) Take one of the heads of cauliflower, pull off the leaves, and slice it into big slabs, stalk and all. Throw the slices on the grill and cook on each side until you get nice char marks, about 3 minutes per side, or broil until they turn dark brown, about 10 minutes (no need to flip them). Let slices cool, then roughly chop them. (You aren’t fully cooking the slices; they’ll cook in the stew. What you want to do is get that char on there.)
- Step 2
Take the other head of cauliflower and grate ½ cup cauliflower florets into a small bowl. Break off a big chunk (about a quarter of the head) and set it aside, then roughly chop the rest.
- Step 3
Prepare the pickled cauliflower: Mix the grated cauliflower with lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon salt and let sit until stew is ready to be served.
- Step 4
Put ¼ cup oil in a large pot, and set it over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add onions, garlic, coriander, mustard and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until onions are almost translucent but haven’t browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 5
Stir in parsnips and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the parsnips soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Step 6
Add the raw chopped cauliflower, the big chunk of cauliflower and the potatoes. Stir a few times, then pour in the stock. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer and let cook until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Step 7
Remove from heat and transfer that big chunk of now-cooked cauliflower into a blender along with 2 cups of the soup. Make sure you get some potatoes, parsnips and celery in there. Blend, but do it carefully. Hot soup has a tendency to explode. Start it on low and slowly increase the speed.
- Step 8
Pour the blended mixture back into your big pot of stew, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the grilled or broiled cauliflower. When you’re ready to serve, bring it up to a boil again.
- Step 9
To serve, divide watercress between 6 large bowls. Ladle the stew into the bowls and top with cheese, tarragon and pickled cauliflower.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this stew last night. It was excellent. The lemony topping really makes the dish outstanding. With my second bowl of stew, I drizzled olive oil onto the surface, with a nice result. I am not a vegetarian, but this stew got me a little closer.
I agree. Don't partially grill the cauliflower then add it to the boiling soup as per recipe. Fully grill and add the cauliflower as a finisher on top so it retains its char and texture. I also used less stock to make the stew thicker.
This is a wonderful recipe. It's a bit labor intensive, but well worth the effort. I substituted carrots for parsnip (because I had them) and arugula for watercress. The tarragon and picked cauliflower really add a nice finish. I will definitely make this again.
While this soup is a little time consuming, it's a fun recipe and came out absolutely delicious. I think this recipe relies a lot on good technique and has many components to keep track of, so it may not be the most beginner-friendly. For instance you may need to grill the cauliflower for more time, or use less stock for the desired consistency. Don't follow the recipe verbatim and use your instincts. But after one or two attempts, it's quite easy and is a great base for customization.
For all the work, rather boring, we found. If we make it again, we will make more purée, add some red pepper flakes…but probably won’t make it again.
I followed the recipe. This stew was a lot of work for very little flavor. It would nit even make a good soup. I will not make it again.
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