How to cook cauliflower

• First of all you must choose a nice white cauliflower, firm to the touch, without spots and with compact, closed florets; the outer leaves should be bright green and tough to tear.

• To clean the cauliflower you should first remove the green leaves at the base—don’t throw them away, you can make cauliflower leaf cream; make a cross cut on the stem and wash it very well under cold running water.

• If you plan to cook it whole, leave it soaking in cold water with the juice of 1 lemon and 1 bay leaf for at least 30 minutes.

• Alternatively you can remove the core and pull apart the florets little by little with a small knife.

  If the florets are particularly large you can cut them in half; collect the florets in a colander and wash them again.

• To avoid the unpleasant odor that cabbage-family vegetables give off during cooking, you can add the peel of half a lemon or some bay leaves to the water.

• If you want to boil cauliflower simply to make a side dish or to use it for a more elaborate recipe, put a pot of plenty of lightly salted water on the stove and, once boiling, add the cauliflower florets.

• Let simmer for 10–12 minutes, then drain the florets onto a dry towel.

• Or use the boiled cauliflower as the base for oven-baked cauliflower au gratin with béchamel sauce.

• You can also finish cooking boiled cauliflower by pan-frying it with the aromatics you like for 15 minutes.

  For a quick side dish, toss the florets in a bowl with garlic, parsley, salt and extra virgin olive oil.

• If you plan to boil the whole head of cauliflower, the cooking time will be 40 minutes.

• Steaming preserves almost all of this vegetable’s properties, so if you want my advice, always steam it.

• Put a pot on the heat with about 1 1/2 inches (4 finger-widths) of water, lightly salted; you can also flavor it with parsley, bay leaf or lemon.

• Place the steamer basket on top and arrange the florets with the tips facing down.

  Cover the pot and bring back to a boil; from that point count 6 minutes and start checking by piercing the florets with the tip of a knife—if small, they’ll be ready.

• If they are larger they will need a few more minutes.

• Steamed cauliflower can be used to dress pasta dishes by quickly sautéeing it in a pan with aromatics.

  Or to gratinate in the oven: season each floret with turmeric, garlic and breadcrumbs and bake for about 15 minutes, adding extra breadcrumbs if you like.

• Microwave cooking is the fastest and preserves all the cauliflower’s properties. Put the florets in a glass bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cook at full power for 3 minutes.

  Take the bowl out, shake it to mix the florets inside and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes.

  Remember that even after removing the bowl from the microwave, the food continues to cook, so leave it covered with the plastic wrap for another 3 to 4 minutes.

• To cook cauliflower in a pan, brown a clove of garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil; you can add black olives, then the cauliflower florets, letting them infuse for 2 minutes.

  Season with salt and pepper.

• Add 1/2 cup of water, cover the pan and, over low heat, cook the cauliflower for 10–12 minutes.

• Remove the lid, pierce with the tip of a knife and if the cauliflower is cooked, let the cooking liquid evaporate over high heat.