Cauliflower Cake Turmeric Parmesan and Pesto – Savory Style

As you curious cooks out there know, cauliflower has been a trendy food for its nutritious, fibrous, mustard-veggie family qualities and for its ability to be roasted, steamed, boiled or baked. In this case, we partner it with aged Parmesan Reggiano, a cheese more familiar to the American palate in the Kraft container that you shake over your dish. Here we use freshly grated Parmesan in combination with cooked cauliflower, turmeric, rosemary, basil and browned onions to create a delicious savory cake topped with pesto and serve it with a salad to satisfy all the gods of hunger, deep flavors, nutrition and style. Click on the link for the recipe!

For the Cauliflower Cake with Turmeric Parmesan and Pesto I have used the Cauliflower Cake recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook titled, Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking From London’s Ottolenghi. I use a sweet onion instead of the recommended purple onion, just because that’s what I had on hand. Once baked to a golden finish, the browned cheese, yellow eggs and recommended purple onion create a vibrant presentation to drool over. The pesto adds even more color and is my Italian addition to this recipe, which without it is a bit English-style and nuanced. Saucing it with the pesto adds a zing and texture that delivers flavor that resonates with the fresh basil within.

Cauliflower Cake Turmeric Parmesan and Pesto

Serves 4

• 1 small cauliflower, outer leaves removed, broken into 1 1/4 inch florets
• 1 medium red onion
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or another aged cheese
• Melted unsalted butter for brushing
• 1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
• Salt and black pepper
• Pesto

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Place the cauliflower in a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with water and simmer for 15 minutes until the florets are soft. They should break when pressed with a spoon. Drain ad set aside in a colander to dry.

Cut 4 round slices, each 1/4-inch thick off one end of the onion and set aside. Coarsely chop the rest of the onion and place in a small pan with the oil and rosemary. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until soft (I browned mine.). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer the onion to a large bowl, add the eggs and basil, this well and the add the flour, baking powder, turmeric, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper. Whisk until smoot before adding the cauliflower and stirring gently, trying not to break up the florets.

Line the base and sides of a 9 1/2 springform cake pan with parchment paper. Brush the sides with melted butter, then mix together the sesame and nigella seeds and toss them around the inside of the pan so that they stick to the sides. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly and arrange the reserved onion rings on top. Place the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set; a knife inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes before serving. It needs to be served just war, rather than hot, or at room temperature. Serve topped with pesto. 

Pesto

• One 8 ounce container of basil leaves
• 1/3 cup grated parsesan
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 2 ounces of toasted pine nuts
• Extra virgin olive oil

Mix the first four ingredients in a blender and while the blender is running, pour in olive oil until you achieve a sauce consistency. 

You can use this at once or freeze it in small quantities so you have it on hand when you need it.