An Israeli Cauliflower Recipe That Basically Everyone Loves
One day in our conference room up in the sky, we got to talking about food cultures we all loved but wanted to know more about. With that, the idea of Around The World In 5 Editors was born. Each day this week, one of the editors breaks in with a lineup of stories, recipes, interviews and personal essays dedicated to their respective country. In honor of today's focus on Israeli cuisine, NYC chef Einat Admony gives us a cauliflower recipe you'll want to make again and again.
Also see: Israeli Food In 2014: Is The Hummusiya The New Banh Mi Shop?
This cauliflower is crispy, salty, sweet and tangy. I use ground white and pink peppercorns in the flour mix to give a peppery flavor that's milder than if the pepper were black. This recipe evolved at Balaboosta — and judging by the number of e-mails I get requesting it, I think it's a hit.
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups canola oil
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teapoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pink pepper
- dried currants
- pine nuts
- fresh parsley
- Whisk together the vinegar, honey, and mustard.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to create an emulsion.
- Season with the salt and pepper.
- Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large, heavy pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350°F.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- To blanch the cauliflower, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and keep it next to the stove.
- Working in small batches, plunge the cauliflower florets into the boiling water for 2 minutes and drop them into the ice bath. Repeat until all the florets are blanched.
- Combine the flour, salt, and white and pink pepper in a large resealable plastic bag.
- Throw in the florets, seal the bag, and shake, shake, shake until thoroughly coated.
- Working in small batches again, carefully drop the florets into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the florets to paper towels to drain.
- Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle the vinaigrette over the crispy cauliflower.
- Toss together the cauliflower, vinaigrette, and a tiny handful of currants, pine nuts and parsley right before serving.
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