Indian-Spiced Stuffed Cauliflower

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Indian-Spiced Stuffed Cauliflower

 

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

salt

1 3 pound head of cauliflower, core trimmed

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons ginger paste

2 tablespoons garlic paste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped green beans

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground fenugreek

1 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons dried currants

freshly ground pepper

 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Stir in the turmeric and 1 tablespoon of salt, add the head of cauliflower

and cook until barely tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to

a large colander and let cool.

2. In a small skillet, toast the chickpea flour over moderate heat,

stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape the flour into a

medium bowl and let cool, then stir in the yogurt, gnger paste, garlic paste

and 1 tablespoon of the oil; season with salt.

3. In a mini food processor, finely grind the cashews. In the small skillet,

heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the green beans and carrot and

cook over low heat, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the

garam masala, cumin, cayenne and fenugreek and cook, stirring, until

fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and let

cool, then stir in the cottage cheese, Cheddar, currants and ground cashews;

season with salt and pepper.

Carefully stuff the head of cauliflower, packing small amounts of the

vegetable mixture in between the florets and in the crannies on the

underside of the head. Set the stuffed cauliflower in a baking dish, right

side up, and spoon the yogurt topping all over the head. Bake the

cauliflower for about 1 hour, or until richly browned. Let cool for about 5

minutes before serving. Serves 4.