Chilled Cauliflower A La Grecque Food

VEGETABLES à LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan combine vinegar, wine, olive oil, garlic cloves, shallot, bouquet garni, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, kosher salt and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 15 to 30 minutes while you prepare vegetables.
• Add carrots to the broth and simmer 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, bring back to a simmer, and cook another 15 minutes, until carrots and cauliflower are tender but not mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a bowl. Some of the broth and seeds can come along with them.
• Add mushrooms to broth and simmer 5 minutes. Remove to bowl with carrots and cauliflower.
• Stir broth and ladle 11/2 cups plus some of the coriander seeds into a small saucepan. Set aside.
• Add artichoke hearts to the pot in which you cooked the other vegetables and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. Transfer to bowl with other cooked vegetables. If using artichoke leaves, steam them now. When finished, discard this broth.
• Bring reserved broth in the small saucepan to a boil and cook until liquid reduces to 1/2 cup. Pour over the vegetables, add lemon juice and fleur de sel and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve (for best flavor, let vegetables marinate for a few hours), or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Just before serving, garnish with herbs and, if you wish, with steamed artichoke leaves, which can be dipped into the marinade. Serve on small plates with the reduced marinade spooned on top.

VEGETABLES à LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a pot, bring the liquids, spices and herbs to just below a boil.
• Cook each vegetable, separated by type, in the seasoned liquid. Start with the onion, then fennel, then cauliflower or mushrooms, then celery. Cook each until it can be pierced with a knife and tastes delicious. As each batch is done, scoop it out with a slotted spoon or a hand-held sieve. Place on a cookie sheet to cool.
• If spices or bits of herb stick to the vegetables, put what you can back in the pot and don't worry about the rest - everything will marinate together, so things will redistribute. When all the vegetables are cooked, layer them in a 1-quart Mason jar - it looks nice if you do mushrooms, then onions and so on. Pour all of the cooking liquid over them, without straining. The olive oil in the liquid will rise to the top and create a seal.
• Serve alone as an hors d'oeuvre, or as part of a salad, or on little buttered toasts. Or in an omelet. Or in a sandwich. Anywhere, really, but in a strawberry tart. Refrigerate for up to a month.

VEGETABLES A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a large stainless steel bowl, mix the grapeseed oil and all of the vegetables and olives together. In a glass bowl combine the lemon juice, light olive oil, chili flakes, tarragon, rice wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Combine the dressing with the vegetables and refrigerate for 4 hours, allowing the flavors to meld. When ready to serve, transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and garnish with scallions.
• Cook's Note: Blanching is a form of cooking by which dropping raw vegetables into boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes and then immediately transferring to a bowl of iced water. When "shocking" with ice water, it instantly stops the cooking process.

CHILLED CAULIFLOWER A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, basil, and garlic. Simmer while you prepare the cauliflower.
• In a large saucepan, parboil the cauliflower in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
• Add cauliflower to dressing in saucepan. Toss to coat. Take off the heat and place in a bowl.
• Set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, then chill for 2 hours.
• Before serving, add parsley, onion, radishes, feta, and olive. Toss well.
• To serve, cover a large platter with spinach and with a slotted spoon, put the salad on top of the greens in the center of the platter. Pour remaining dressing over spinach and serve immediately.

VEGETABLES A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Warm the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat; add the fennel and onion.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, coriander seeds, and tomatoes and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender and any liquid has disappeared.
• In a separate pan steam the cauliflowers and green beans until just tender.
• Once the fennel and tomato mixture is ready, add the mushrooms and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in the cauliflowers and green beans, and season with salt and black pepper.
• Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or cool.

VEGETABLES A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Prepare vegetables: In colander, under cold running water, wash green beans; drain well. Cut off ends, leaving beans whole. Set aside. Wash and pare carrots; with sharp knife, cut crosswise into 4-inch pieces; then slice lengthwise into strips 1/2-inch wide.
• Trim root ends of leeks; cut off tops, leaving 1 to 3 inches of green stem; discard tops. With sharp knife, cut in half lengthwise. Wash under cold running water to remove any sand. Wipe mushrooms with damp paper towels; trim the stem ends; cut in half lengthwise.
• Wash zucchini; trim ends; cut into 3-inch pieces; then slice into strips 1/2-inch wide.
• Prepare cooking liquid: In large 10-inch skillet, combine water, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, green onion, salt, peppercorns, thyme and parsley sprigs. Over medium heat, bring to boiling. Add the leeks; simmer, covered, until tender - about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove leeks to shallow dish. Return liquid to boiling. Add carrots; simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until tender. With slotted spoon, remove to the shallow dish. Return liquid to boiling.
• Add green beans; simmer, covered, 7 minutes, or until tender. With slotted spoon, remove beans to shallow dish. Return liquid to boiling. Add zucchini; simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. With slotted spoon, remove to the shallow dish. Return liquid to boiling.
• Add mushrooms; simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. With slotted spoon, remove to dish. Arrange vegetables in serving dish.
• Reduce liquid to 2/3 cup; spoon over vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot as side dish or chilled as appetizer.

CHILLED CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Steps:

• Soak frozen peas in a pot of hot water until heated through.
• Combine cauliflower, mayonnaise, vinegar, relish, banana pepper juice, sweet peppers, olives, banana peppers, black pepper, dill, and peas in a bowl. Refrigerate to meld flavors, at least 1 hour.