"Cauliflower" news and stories

If you think of the cool, jiggly Italian panna cotta as one of the most refreshing desserts around, this truly inventive starter will make you completely rethink it.

Australian blogger Jules, at thestonesoup, turns her panna cotta into a savory dish with cauliflower, adds a layer of an endive-and-scallion mixture, then tops it with smoked trout. Her recipe was inspired by chefs and cookbook authors Jane and Jeremy Strode, who made a name for themselves with their restaurant Bistrode, near Sydney.

A couple of notes about the recipe: Jules calls for "witlof," which, here in the states we know as chicory or endive. She also recommends leaf gelatin instead of the powdered form. Leaf gelatin comes in sheets, and isn't as available here as it is in Australia, Europe and elsewhere, so if you can't find it at the market, powdered gelatin will do just fine (one tablespoon of powdered gelatin equals about 4 gelatin sheets).

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• The Frugal Gourmet theorized that pasta puttanesca was so named because prostitutes could prepare the dish between shifts, a legend supported by a recipe for a "super-pronto" version of the popular primi.
• Sorting, rinsing, draining and soaking are the necessary steps for a perfect pot of homemade beans.
• Spud lovers on low-carb diets can make "fauxtatoes" by mashing cauliflower with cream and butter.
• A new book on the history of Mobile eats reveals oysters and Greek cooks have always defined the coastal city's dining scene.

No, you're not looking at an enchanted forest on a planet made of Play-Doh, you're looking at broccoli. Sort of. It's Romanesco, a fractal vegetable from the broccoli family. It's sometimes called Romanesco broccoli and perhaps better known as the Broccoflower, as it's often mistaken for a broccoli-cauliflower hybrid (which, as we understand, does exist and looks a lot like Romanesco).

We have to admit though, we're not too concerned with its classification -- what we really want to know is how it tastes sautéed with butter and sea salt.

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Whoopie pie -- a regional Maine/Pennsylvania/Midwest cookie with two round cakes and a frosting center -- is having its moment in the sun. With recipe!

With restaurants closing left and right due to the economy, chef jobs are really, really hard to come by. Like, 300 people will apply to a single $25,000-a-year, no-benefits job.

Eric Asimov reviews the wines of Spain's Bierzo region.

The Temporary Vegetarian offers a recipe for cauliflower with raisins, almonds and capers guaranteed to woo even die-hard cauliflower haters. I happen to recall that Slashfood readers have a few cauliflower recipes up their sleeves too.

Recipe for a blood orange olive oil cake with yogurt.

The Minimalist tunnels through pork loins with a wooden spoon and stuffs them full of figs.

Eating "mountain oysters" at the International Comstock Mountain Oyster Fry. Hint: Mountain oysters are NOT oysters.

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I've often felt that cooking cauliflower is no-win situation. Either you serve it "healthy" - say, steamed with a little salt and lemon juice - and it tastes like packing peanuts (well, packing peanuts with lemon juice), or else you smother it with cheese or butter or creamy curry sauce and completely destroy its virtue. But recently I have seen the error of my ways. The key to cauliflower that's delicious and healthy (and easy): Roast it, with just the tiniest bit of bacon.

I simply toss the cauliflower florets in a mixture of olive oil and mustard, throw them on a baking pan with a handful of whole peeled garlic gloves and some chunks of slab bacon, sprinkle on a little salt and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The cauliflower gets soft on the inside and crisp and caramelized at the edges, the mustard-olive oil mix gets condensed and flavorful and a little sticky, the garlic cloves become pungent and golden. The bacon, barely more than a condiment, adds depth and crunch (though it could easily be omitted). This, with some garlicky lentils, has been my go-to weeknight meal for the past month. Try it - you won't be sorry.

What are your favorite cauliflower recipes?