Giardiniera Salad | Spicy Italian Salad Pickle

Giardiniera Salad is that delightfully spicy pickle that can wake up even the dullest of all sandwiches!! Every self-respecting deli and sandwich shop carries some version of this pickle. It's flavor can vary from just salty and sour to flaming hot depending on the kind of chili peppers that are in it. Cauliflower, carrots, celery, olives, and gerkins all pack this mouth watering salad pickle with loads of tang and flavor.

Phool Gobhi ki Bhaji | Cauliflower Saute

With the temperatures diving into the 70s, the weather has turned rather autumnal around here. The leaves on the trees are still green, and there is no fall. But the sunshine seems to have acquired that mellow quality that makes autumn so incredibly beautiful. The flowers are still in bloom and we are seeing a lot of bumblebees, geese, and squirrels!! Its wonderful to enjoy the great outdoors and we have been stepping out every evening to enjoy the longer daylight hours too! That often leave me with a rather short window to rustle up a hot and fresh meal for dinner.

Sambar Oats Bhaat | Savoury Oats and Sambar Porridge

While oats always means milky sweet porridge to me, it was never quite as tasty as when made savoury!! I have been using oats to make savoury treats for quite some time now. Initially I saw skeptical looks around me when I announced something like Oats Poha, Oats Upma, Oats Pongal for brunch!! But one bite and I had converts all around me:) Now I get requests for Oats Kichiri and Pongal all the time!!

Phool Gobhi Rassa | Cauliflower in Coconut Milk

Good quality cauliflower is a rare and prized vegetable here in winter. While in Delhi, we got some of the best cauliflower in this season. However with inches of snow covering the ground here we rarely get to see a decent head of cauliflower between December and March. All the vegetable comes from the warmer climes and has for so long sat in some cold storage chain that it becomes a challenge to cook it. But sometimes you get lucky and I got some really beautiful organic cauliflower at my local market the other day. I wanted to do justice to this lovely vegetable and so chose this delicious and simple curry to enjoy it in!!

Gobhi Mussallam | Slow Cooked Marinated Cauliflower

Gobhi Mussallam is a wonderfully delectable dish that once again comes from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Heartwarming and delicious, this recipe is typically made in the winter as its stars are winter vegetables. Both cauliflower and peas, today available around the year, were to be found in the sprawling vegetables markets of the north only in winter. In fact, when peas did make an appearance out of season, people rarely purchased them, as they would often have a bitter aftertaste. Winter peas were always sweet!!

Aloo Phoolgobhi Sabzi | Aloo Gobhi | Potato Cauliflower Fry

The simplest of vegetables prepared at mealtimes in the winter in north India is aloo gobhi. While regional variations abound, this simple recipe is a staple in homes in Uttar Pradesh. It can be served with any flatbread - chappatis, parathas, and even pooris. I love it with chana dal and plain home made yogurt.

Phool Gobhi ki Bhurji | Scrambled Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower - always reminds me of school dinners - tasteless, dull, watery!! Now think cauliflower bhurji - creamy, melt in the mouth, divine. Bhurji (scrambled) is a popular way of cooking vegetables in the north of India. Deliciously spicy vegetable bhurjis are in fact quite common in a Uttar Pradesh Kitchen. In a bhurji, the vegetables are overcooked just a bit so that they soften and can be coarsely mashed. Then suitable spices added, and the vegetable refried at the end of the cooking process to get a creamy well cooked consistency. Cauliflower is one vegetable that makes for a wonderful bhurji - select a tender, fresh, organic piece for this recipe.

Phool Gobhi Aloo Matar Ki Tehri | Cauliflower Potato Peas Rice

Tehri is a classic rice dish that comes from Uttar Pradesh. It is usually vegetarian and prepared with rice and some vegetables. These typically include some combination of potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots, capsicum, and French/ Green Beans. It is cooked with Khara Masala or Whole Spices including Kali Elaichi (Black Cardamom), Sabut Kali Mirch (Whole Black Peppercorns), Lavang (Cloves), Dal Chini (Cinnamon), and Zeera (Cumin).

Fresh and Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This is a deliciously creamy soup is a medley of cauliflower, carrots, and celery. Perfect for a chilly and rather rainy spring evening here in the North. Serve with a seasoned garlic and parsley bread for a nice and hearty meal.

Phool Gobi Matar ki Sabzi | Gobhi Matar | Cauliflower Peas Stir Fry

Cauliflower or phool gobi is available in abundance at our farmer's co-operative throughout the year. Being such a versatile vegetable, I tend to buy at least 1 head of flower every week and keep it handy in the refrigerator. From gobi parathas to Thai curries to cauliflower cheese, cauliflower adds its own distinct flavour to each and every dish, while absorbing spices and sauces it is cooked in to perfection. Sweet green peas or matar are my personal favourite. I remember my childhood when we would rush off to Sarojini Nagar Sabzi (vegetable) market every saturday morning to buy fresh produce. Both phool gobi and matar would be plenty in during the winter months!! That first peas of the season would be sweet, freshly shelled, and seasoned with nothing more than butter and salt!! And the cauliflower so creamy that it would melt in minutes once seasoned!! Mmmm....

Rasedaar Aloo-Gobhi | Fragrant Potato-Cauliflower Curry

 
Aloo-Gobhi sabzi (Potato-Cauliflower Vegetable) happens to be one of my favourite vegetable combinations. There are so very many ways in which this vegetable combination is cooked and dished out. Yet it is only in winter that one gets the opportunity of enjoying it in this fragrant curry form. Primarily because this recipe uses loads of Dalchini or Cinnamon. Cinnamon which is an essential spice in Indian cooking, is regarded by Ayurveda as a warming spice. It is, in general, used in combination with other spices that complement its flavour and often in its bark form. Also it is used to flavour savoury vegetables and meats from the main course rather than sweets and desserts! Cauliflower curry with cinnamon is a perfect example of this. I find it to be a comfort food - tasty, warming, and utterly delicious once served on a bed of Basmati rice.