Cauliflower: Boil Now, Eat Later

If I had to do college all over again, I would probably still major in English. But this time around, I would definitely minor in cauliflower.

Consider the lowly cauliflower, resting on the kitchen counter. I hold it aloft and admire it, like Hamlet lifting Yorick’s skull and addressing it: “a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.” Cauliflower, a vegetable of infinite possibility, of most excellent taste.

It’s the most common leftover on our table. Typically we eat it boiled, with a little olive oil and garlic salt and pepper sprinkled over it. You can always find cauliflower in the store. It’s cheap and probably good for you. Probably? Medical News says it’s got fiber, it’s got vitamins (C, K, B6) and magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and folate. Nutritious.

And so like a brain.

A smart food. Odd, then, that there’s almost always some left over. Opportunity now: leftover cauliflower is versatile and inviting.

I try to always have some chopped tomato in the fridge. No skin, no seeds. Just big chunks of red gold. A couple spoonfuls of these beauties over the leftover boiled cauliflower, you have something beautiful and delicious.

Or warm up this leftover cauliflower in a non-stick frying pan. Really warm it up, with a little more olive oil added, and maybe a little more pepper. Raise the heat and toss the cauliflower until you get some browning. Enjoy it as a rehabilitated side dish with lunch or dinner.

Or crack a couple eggs into it. You have a perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner frittata. To borrow from Raymond Carver, it’s a small good thing.