CAULIFLOWER MAGIC

 

Cauliflower in the garden.

Look what’s peeking out from floppy leaves in my garden! The first cauliflower. I’m always surprised how rapidly they develop. I poke around every few days and find nothing—except, maybe some caterpillars—then, suddenly, there’s a cauliflower almost ready to pick. 

Cauliflower fritters and dip.

My favorite ways with cauliflower are roasted (on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme) and Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian-spiced cauliflower (with lots of garlic, fennel and mustard seeds). But there are plenty cauliflower recipes to love in Spanish cuisine, too. Today, it’s buñuelos de coliflor, cauliflower fritters. 

Buñuelos are puffy balls of fried batter. Some versions start with a sort of choux paste, with olive oil instead of butter. But this batter with mashed cauliflower gets its puffiness from baking powder. The buñuelos should be golden-brown on the outside and, unlike croquettes, spongy on the inside. 

The batter can be prepared in advance, but the buñuelos are best consumed freshly made, although not necessarily hot. 

The buñuelos are good as an aperitivo with drinks, with or without a dipping sauce (see below for a yogurt dipping sauce). They’re terrific as part of a vegetarian meal. They make a fine side with simple roast meat or grilled foods.

These puffy fritters and a tangy dipping sauce are terrific for aperitivos with drinks.

Buñuelos make a good side dish for a vegetarian meal.

Instead of traditional alioli garlic sauce, these buñuelos are served with yogurt sauce.

Fritters have a light, spongy texture.

Puffy Cauliflower Fritters

Buñuelos de Coliflor

Makes about 3 dozen fritters.

1 pound cauliflower (approx. ½  medium cauliflower)

Salt

1 egg

2 ounces cheese, grated (½ cup)

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions or grated onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Pinch of cumin

Pinch of hot (picante) pimentón (paprika)

5 tablespoons milk

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Olive oil for frying

Separate the cauliflower into florettes, discarding thick stems. Cook in simmering, salted water until very tender, 10 minutes. Drain well. Coarsely chop the cauliflower in a food processor or mash it with a potato-masher. Don’t puree the cauliflower.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Add the grated cheese, scallions, parsley, cumin, pimentón and ½ teaspoon salt. Beat in the milk. Combine the flour and baking powder. Stir the mixture into the egg and milk until fairly smooth. Fold in the mashed cauliflower. The batter should be the consistency of very creamy mashed potatoes. If too stiff, stir in additional milk.

Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot olive oil. Turn the fritters and fry until golden.

Place oil in a skillet to a depth of 1 ½ inches. Heat the oil on moderately-high heat. Dip two teaspoons into the oil. Use one spoon to scoop up batter and the second to push the batter into the hot oil. Fry the balls of batter, turning once, until they are slightly puffed and golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Don’t let them brown too fast or the flour won’t cook in the center. 

Drain the fritters on absorbent paper. Serve immediately. To reheat the fritters, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and heat in 400ºF oven until hot, 8-10 minutes.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Salsa de Yogur

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

Chopped chives

Stir together the yogurt, salt, pimentón and chives. Serve room temperature. 

More versions of buñuelos:

Fried Pumpkin Puffs.

Fried Crullers.

Cheese Puffs.

Figgy Fritters.

More recipes with cauliflower:

Cauliflower Salad.

Cauliflower Patties (Tortitas).

Cauliflower Soup with Cheese Flan.

Cauliflower with Almond Sauce and Black Garlic.

Salt Cod with Cauliflower and Ajada Sauce.

Paella with Cauliflower Rice.

About frying with olive oil here.