Fried Whole Cauliflower With Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce Food

GREEN PEA ARANCINI WITH HERBY LEMON DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the dipping sauce: Put the basil, dill, mint, chives, Roasted Meyer Lemon juice, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt in a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• For the arancini: Remove 1 cup of the frozen peas and reserve for later use. Put the remaining peas in a blender with 1 cup of the vegetable stock and puree until smooth. Pour the pea mixture into a medium saucepot and add the remaining 3 cups stock and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook until opaque and lightly toasted. Stir in the shallot and garlic; cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes to toast the garlic and soften the shallot. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, then bring to a boil and cook until almost completely reduced. Ladle in one-third of the hot stock, lower the heat to medium, and bring the stock to a simmer, stirring often. Continue to stir the rice for 8 minutes while the stock reduces almost completely. When there is more rice in the pot than liquid, add another third of the stock and repeat stirring and reducing the stock for another 8 minutes. Add the remaining stock and this time reduce just until the rice is thick enough that a spoon leaves a momentary trail when dragged along the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan, lemon zest, reserved peas, and additional salt and black pepper to taste.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet with canola oil and spread the risotto in an even layer; set aside to cool. When the risotto is room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, pressed directly to the surface of the rice, and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Form the chilled risotto into 19 arancini balls, about 1/4 cup each. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand, place a heaping teaspoon of mozzarella in the center and fold the sides up and around the cheese. Roll back into balls. (At this point, you can hold the arancini overnight on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.)
• When ready to fry, heat 2 to 3 inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron pan. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
• Whisk the eggs together in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. In a second shallow dish, add the panko and season with salt and pepper. Dip the arancini in the egg and then coat in the panko.
• In batches of a few at a time, fry the arancini, turning, until deep golden-brown and crispy on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels; immediately season with salt.
• Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat; add the honey and olive oil. When the honey is melted, stir to combine, then place the lemon halves, cut-side down, into the mixture. Cook until the lemons appear charred and the honey has caramelized to the cut surfaces, about 4 minutes. Remove the lemons to a baking sheet and let to cool.

CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS WITH HERBY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk batter ingredients together, then let it rest while you make the dipping sauce. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside. Cook cauliflower in boiling salted water for 2 mins, then drain and refresh with cold water.
• Heat about 10cm depth vegetable oil in a high-sided pan. Once oil is hot, test with a small bit of bread - if it turns golden in 30 secs, it's ready.
• Dip the dry cauliflower into batter, shake off any excess and place in the hot oil. Fry in batches until golden, about 3 mins, then remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper. To keep warm, keep the florets in a low oven. Once all the cauliflower is fried, season with sea salt and serve with the sauce.

FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI SAUCE

Steps:

• *** TO PREPARE THE CAULIFLOWER ***.
• Place a large pot with 8 cups water and the salt over high heat. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, remove all the leaves from around the stem of the cauliflower. Cut the florets off the central stem into 2- 3-inch pieces, keeping them consistent in size.
• Place the florets in the boiling water. Return the water to a rolling boil and cook uncovered, stirring a couple of times, for 5 minutes. Drain, then evenly spread the florets over a flat tray and cool for 30 minutes uncovered. The steamed florets must cool prior to frying or they will fall apart.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat to 375°, using a candy/fry thermometer for accuracy. The oil should be about 1 1/2" deep. Fry 4 to 5 florets at a time until golden brown and the edges are crispy. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined dish. Make sure the temperature of the oil remains at 375° so that the florets fry evenly. Fry the remaining pieces of cauliflower. If you prefer, you can serve the cauliflower steamed.
• *** TO PREPARE THE TAHINI SAUCE ***.
• In a small bowl, mash the garlic and salt to a pulp using a pestle. Add the tahini, lemon juice and water. Whisk until smooth and creamy; the consistency will be like pancake batter.
• Use a spoon to mix in the parsley. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Tahini sauce may thicken once refrigerated. Thin it with lemon juice or water.
• TO SERVE *** Place the tahini sauce in a small bowl in the center of the platter. Arrange the warm or room-temperature cauliflower around the tahini.