If you’re looking to cut back on the refined starches, give this recipe a try. It’s sort of like pasta fazool but without the pasta. We here in the stew like to use the frozen steam-in-bag cauliflower only because it’s faster to prepare and lot less work. The store brand frequently goes on sale for 99 cents a (12 ounce) bag and we stock up when it does. Of course you can use fresh cauliflower, just be sure to steam it good until it’s soft when pierced with a knife, then chop up the florets.
While cauliflower is available year round here in the states, it is often classified as a winter vegetable and is a good choice for autumnal cooking when heating up the house is no longer a concern. We like it with a little heat from crushed red pepper, sopped over with Don Pepino tomato sauce and lots of parmesan cheese, but you can skip the red sauce if you like and add a can of chicken broth instead. Either way, you’re gonna love it.
Need This
3 – 12 ounce bags of steam-in-bag cauliflower (or 1 large head of fresh)
2 – 15 ounce cans of Cannellini beans (store brand is fine)
3 stalks of celery – chopped
8 cloves of garlic – whole and peeled
Olive oil
Salt
Ground black pepper
Dried oregano
Prepared tomato sauce or one 14 ounce can of chicken broth
Grated parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Do This
Steam the cauliflower until soft*
Drain the two cans of Cannellini beans and then rinse the beans under cold water.
Put a couple-a-three glugs of olive oil into a frying pan. Throw in the 8 garlic cloves and set a medium heat under the pan. If you are going to use the crushed red pepper add it to the pan now. Fry the garlic cloves for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring them around a little, until they start to golden up (see one in the picture above).
Add the chopped celery to the pan with the garlic and continue frying for another 3 minutes.
Now add in the steamed cauliflower and the beans . Dust it all over with salt, black pepper, and oregano to taste and then turn up the heat a little.
Fry the cauliflower-bean mixture on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower starts to brown a little. If you are using the chicken broth instead of the red sauce add the broth now. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer then remove from heat.
Serve hot in shallow soup bowls with warmed tomato sauce on the side – and pass around the grated parm.
Serves 4. My cost approx. $ 8.60 Total – about $ 2.15 per serving
*If you are using the microwave steam-in-bag cauliflower like we do, each bag will take about 4 to 5 minutes on high setting to steam through, depending on the size of your microwave. Do one bag as a test run. The cauliflower should yield easily to a knife or fork pierce but not be too musciad – then adjust the cooking times, if need be, for the other two bags. GMN