Finally the weather is nice enough to think that spring has sprung. One of the more frustrating things about spring here is that it is winter forever, then a day or two of spring, then pounce… summer.
This week was a first installment from our CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture (click here to find one near you). It is a nationally recognized program where you essentially hire a small farm to grown vegetables for you. I love having my own garden, but it never fails that the night before harvest, a roaming herd of dastardly town deer come through on a mission to destroy everything in their path.
Alas, the CSA has come to our rescue! With them in mind I have created a slew of vegetarian dishes this weekend. It is too early for local cauliflower, but the greens we had on the side were local. This week in our goody bag we uncovered: bok choy, radishes, salad greens, rainbow chard, spring garlic, green onions, and some arugula.
This is a quick meal that can be thrown together in a moment, and requires only 1 pan, no par boiling either. I love cauliflower, it is one of the most versatile vegetables and since my children do not mind eating it we find it showing up all over the place. Funny, as a kid I only remember cauliflower as a raw vegetable, I am not sure if I have ever served it that way to my kids. This is one of those throw together dishes, great for clean out the fridge day, etc. I made it simply with a few ingredients, but add what you like. Asparagus would be nice here.
Heidi at 101cookbooks.com inspired me today by her recent Simple Cauliflower Recipe. I had a cauliflower waiting to be put to good use. I like her idea of cutting the florets into grape sized pieces. This not only makes it quick cooking, but also easy to eat. I paired it with chickpeas and the lemon, chive, garlic flavors Heidi suggested.
Cauliflower with Spring Garlic, Lemon and Chives
serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces, stems too
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 can drained & rinsed chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drain really well to prevent splatter
- 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 1 stalk spring garlic, minced (or 1-2 cloves garlic, minced)
- zest of one lemon
- few stalks of chives, sliced fine or chive flowers
- sea salt
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add the chopped cauliflower, season with salt and pepper. Sauté until it starts to get a little color on the edges. Add the chickpeas, continue to cook crisping up the edges of the peas and cauliflower, about 5 minutes. Add the chili flakes and garlic, stir to keep the garlic from getting too brown. When the cauliflower is soft and the peas are a little browned remove from heat and add the lemon zest, chives and coarse sea salt. Serve as a side dish or with a green salad for a meal.
