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Yes, it really is purple - and it's not dyed!
Purple cauliflower's amazing colour brightens up any meal.
If you're lucky enough to get hold of some, here's how to store it andhow to cook it so it keepsits colour.
Go straight to cauliflower recipes.
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About Purple Cauliflower |
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 Purple cauliflower is a member of the brassica family, like broccoli.
It is rarely seen in supermarkets, but is becoming more common in veg boxes and farmers' markets.
Did you know...?
The stinky smell often associated with cauliflower is from the sulphur released during cooking. Want less stink? Cook it less or steam it! |
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How To Choose |
| The leaves on a cauliflower should be green and not wilting. If the stalks don't "snap" as you remove them, then your cauliflower has been hanging around for a while... |
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How To Store |
Store in a paper bag in the fridge for up to a week. In plastic bags, they tend to sweat, which can make the florets go mouldy.
Avoid pre-packaged, ready-trimmed and washed cauliflowers. Not only do they have a lower vitamin content, but they've probably been washed in chlorine solutions.
Using purple cauliflower as soon as possible after getting it helps keep the colour vibrant. |
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How To Use |
Break your cauliflower into florets and wash carefully before eating, unless you're partial to a bit of extra caterpillar protein in your dinner!
(  Organic cauliflower is more prone to this).
Cauliflower can be broken into small florets and eaten raw as crudites or in salads.
If you cook it, bear in mind that the sulphur compounds create that infamous "cauli-stink" associated with over-cooked, soggy cauliflower in "institutions"... The longer you cook it, the stinkier it gets!
Traditionally only the white part (called the curd) of the cauliflower is eaten. However, the leaves and stalk can be added to stock, to improve flavour.
How To Keep It Purple
Steam it!
Boiling purple cauliflower makes it go much paler. Steaming it helps it keep its colour.
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Suggested Recipes | |
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| Autumn Vegetable Stir Fry |
This is a quick and easy way of using up any leftovers in your autumn veg box. We've listed the ingredients we most commonly use, but you can adapt this recipe to suit whatever you've got spare.
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| Cauliflower Chickpea Pitta Pockets |
This is a lovely way of enjoy cauliflower. The chick peas give the meal a nutty flavour and the watercress means it’s packed with nutrients.
If you can get hold of tahini (sesame seed butter), it adds to the flavour and is also full of calcium and essential fatty acids.
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| Purple Cauliflower and Romanesco with Blue Cheese Sauce |
This was initially an experiment, but as a recipe for purple cauliflower and / or Romanesco, it's delicious. It takes 20 minutes start to finish and looks impressive, too.
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| Romanesco Cheese |
Use your favourite cheeses in the sauce for this recipe. It's important that it has a good flavour, or it will taste bland against the romanesco. This recipe also works well with broccoli or cauliflower.
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| Thai Style Squash Curry |
This curry is easy to make and pretty quick. Just make the paste, chop the veggies and cook it all in a wok (or large frying pan) with the coconut milk. Works well with pumpkin, too.
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| Winter Stir Fry |
Stir fries are a real fast food, yet they’re healthy. The trick is to prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. The sauce with this stir fry is delicious, but feel free to miss out the egg if it doesn’t suit your diet.
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Got one? Send us your cauliflower recipe!
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