Eating my vegetables: Cauliflower with Polonaise Topping

Cauliflower with Polonaise Topping
Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Copyright 2001

8 cups cauliflower florets*
2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin
olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
2/3 cup bread crumbs - preferably whole
wheat**
1 chopped hard boiled egg -optional I left this out
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley I used dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried I used dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives I used dried
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper - to taste

* Two pounds of cauliflower = about 8 cups

** Pulverize stale or lightly toasted whole wheat, sourdough, or rye bread
in a blender or food processor.

Steam or blanch the cauliflower florets in salted boiling until tender, 5
to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside

Meanwhile, warm the butter or oil in a large 12-inch skillet and saute the
garlic and bread crumbs for 3 to 4 minutes, until the crumbs are
golden. Mix the hard-boiled egg, if using, into the bread crumbs. Add the
parsley, tarragon, chives, Dijon, and salt and mix well. Add the drained
cauliflower florets to the skillet, toss with the seasoned bread crumbs,
and add pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
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Cauliflower with breadcrumbs and butter is actually one of my favorite things that I've been making for years. But, left to my own devices, I tend to add a lot of breadcrumbs and a lot of butter. A lot. I followed this recipe faithfully though and enjoyed this healthier more restrained version quite a bit. The herbs and mustard gave it a kick of flavor. Cauliflower isn't going to help my complexion but I love it, it was on sale and it was a huge head of cauliflower (over 4 pounds, I only used about half for this recipe). I am trying to eat more vegetables in general, not just the colorful ones.

I'm enjoying exploring this cookbook once again. It was getting ignored for way too long. Expect to see more recipes from it in the future.