Vegetables for vitality: cauliflower

Creamy white, purple or a brilliant chartreuse – these are the colours of today's cauliflower. A close relative of broccoli, cauliflower has the nutritional attributes of its cousin, but a much milder flavour. Read on to learn more about this superstar vegetable.

Packed into 250 millilitres (one cup) of cauliflower:

• 29 calories
• folate to protect your heart
• fibre to maintain good digestion
• indoles and isothiocyanates which are cancer-fighting phytochemicals
• 100 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin C

Season

Available all year, with peak season in the fall.

What to look for

Choose a head with fresh, crisp, creamy-white curd. The size of the head has no bearing on quality. Avoid cauliflower that is turning brown or with curd that appears to have been trimmed. These are indicators of old age. Old cauliflower has an unpleasant odour when cooked and has a strong taste. Try to buy cauliflower with some or all of its leaves intact; they protect the curd from damage and help retain its freshness.

Storing

Cauliflower generally does not keep well, especially if it has been trimmed of its leaves. If you can't use a head of cauliflower the day you buy it, place it, unwashed, in a perforated or open plastic bag and refrigerate for no more than a day or two. The same goes for leftover cooked cauliflower. Rather than reheat it as a side dish or serve it cold as a salad vegetable, it's best to purée leftovers with a little stock and use it for soup the next day.

Preparation

Wash cauliflower just before cooking or eating raw. Use a sharp knife to separate the florets into bite-sized pieces, retaining a bit of stem. To keep florets crisp and white until serving, place in a bowl of iced water, stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and refrigerate. Drain and pat dry just before serving.

Basic cooking

Cook cauliflower carefully, checking it often because it goes from undercooked to overcooked in a flash. Florets are cooked as soon as the stem end is tender. Cauliflower will discolour if cooked in aluminum or iron pans.

Best uses in recipes

Serve raw cauliflower with dips. Cooked, it can be served with a sauce, made into soup or added to combinations of vegetables for use in curries.

• Try mashed cauliflower for a lower-carb version of mashed potatoes. The similar taste makes mashed cauliflower very popular with those who are watching their carb intake.
• Top cauliflower with sauces, add seasonings and dressings. Try some of the following with either cooked or raw cauliflower:

1. Cheese sauce
2. Vinaigrette dressing
3. Mustard-mayonnaise sauce
4. Curry sauce
5. Yogurt with fresh or dried herbs

Purple cauliflower is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. It has more beta-carotene than white and turns white when cooked. The acid green, chartreuse cauliflower retains its colour on cooking. It has a relatively mild flavour.