Cauliflower "Couscous" with Basil-Lemon Sauce
by Eric Gower
from The Breakaway Cook
(William Morrow, 2007)
Serves 8

For the longest time, I fought cauliflower. I usually prepared it Indian style, heavily spiced and cooked whole, but shied away from the floret stir-fry or other recipes with whole florets. Here, the cauliflower is finely chopped so it resembles couscous and will absorb other flavors. Try this excellent version, but also try replacing the sauce with different combos, like tamarind or pomegranate dressing for a sweet-tart rendition, or add some chipotle for a hot and smoky version. Great with a glass of unoaked Chardonnay.

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Make the sauce
1. Combine the basil, lemon zest and juice, oil, and maple syrup in a blender. Purée and transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 7 to 10 days.

Make the couscous
1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a chef's pan or wok large enough to hold all the cauliflower over high heat. Add the onion and sauté until the onion softens, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower, stir thoroughly, salt and pepper liberally, and cook until the cauliflower softens, about 10 minutes.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and cook until tender and fragrant, another 10 minutes. Adjust the salt, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sauce, mix thoroughly, and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the basil chiffonade.

 

[Susan Hillery] Absolutely fabulous! This recipe really challenged my idea of cauliflower — the chopped cauliflower was such a departure from the typical use of the floret. I admit that I was also a little skeptical using the maple syrup in the sauce; it just tempers the lemon juice, making everything pop. A delicious, delicious way to serve cauliflower.

[Julie Seaman] This dish was fantastic. It may be my love of cauliflower that helped my rating. I will definitely make this again. It's a wonderful side dish for any number of main courses, and I liked the variations the author suggested.

[Rhonda Lerner] Absolutely delicious! As I started out, I thought the Basil-Lemon S auce would be too lemony and tart. Then I thought, how could this possibly come together? Surprise, surprise — in the end, my husband and I ate the entire dish. The combination of flavors was just great. The sauce blended and balanced so well to perk up the cauliflower, and the red onion was just perfect in bringing everything together. I served this with a simple sauté ed perch filet and used some of the sauce over the fish as well, which was great.

[Jeremy Schweitzer] I had never considered cooking cauliflower this way before and was very impressed by the result. I liked the simplicity, texture, and flavor of this dish and the leftover dressing is delicious with romaine and grilled chicken.

[Christine Anderson] I really enjoyed this recipe. The texture is nice and it's a wonderful way to serve cauliflower. I made it for my eldest daughter, who is a vegetarian; she also thought it was very good. She liked the hint of maple flavor in the sauce, which paired beautifully with the maple-glazed salmon I prepared.

[Liz Tarpy] A fast, easy dish that tastes really bright and flavorful. I used it as a topping for whole wheat pasta, grated some fresh parm on top, and it was a lovely meal.

[Leanne Abe] I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. It takes some time to chop up all the cauliflower florets, but it really makes a great-tasting dish! It's a preparation I never would have thought of for this vegetable, but I'm going to keep it in mind now that I see how it really does absorb all the other flavors in the dish. The lemon is a little subtle in the dressing and you need to taste often to get the salt level right, but it's a great dish and the leftovers make a perfect lunch.

[Nil Taspinar] Absolutely delicious — inventive new way to make cauliflower! Great recipe.

[Tamika Lagerwaard] I thought this was a nice variation on using cauliflower. I really liked the bright and balanced flavours of the B asil-L emon S auce with a bit of red onion undertones. It did complement the cauliflower well, and the texture of the cauliflower done this way was interesting also, with a pleasing toothsomeness to it. I'd make this again, but I might try it without the maple syrup, out of curiosity. I could eat this dish on its own as a light meal.

[Debbie Markos] I loved this dish, as well as the concept of the recipe, and am anxious to try it with other variations. At first, I was a little bit disappointed, as I didn't think it packed a fabulous flavor punch, but it was sublime the following day. I think this is one dish that benefits from standing awhile before serving and then being reheated, or even served at room temperature. All in all, a lovely, healthful recipe.

[Rebecca Pasquariello] We all really enjoyed this dish. The recipe was right on. Easy, fresh flavors, and it was a great new technique for cauliflower. I am always looking for ways to use it and was very pleased with this one!

[Rajivi Prematunga] This was a very tasty and unusual dish, despite not using unusual ingredients. I really like that in a recipe. I worried as I was cooking it whether it would be enough for four people, but with some poached fish and bread on the side, it made quite a satisfying meal. I'm looking forward to experimenting with the different sauces.