Cauliflower became widespread in Russia after the agronomist A. Bolotov bred a variety that could grow in more severe conditions. Cauliflower can be eaten boiled, pickled, fried, but baked cabbage is considered the most useful and tasty.
Cauliflower is the vegetable champion in vitamins and minerals. It is the closest relative of white cabbage and is called so not because of its original color, but because it consists of small inflorescences. Such cabbage contains fiber, which is easily absorbed by the human body. This product is suitable for dietetic meals and children's meals. Its energy value is only 29 Kcal per 100 g.
There are many ways to prepare a vegetable, but oven-baked cabbage is especially tasty and retains most of the valuable substances.
Whole cabbage in the oven
Cauliflower can be baked whole. It turns out such a dish is very original and it is able to surprise even the most sophisticated guests, as well as to please the family. To prepare it you will need:
- a head of cauliflower (600-800 g);
- 150-200 g fat sour cream;
- 4-5 tbsp mustard;
- some salt;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- a bunch of greens;
- a little ground black pepper;
- 2 eggs;
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Peel off lateral leaves, rinse well with cauliflower forks and remove strongly protruding inflorescences or areas with discoloration with a sharp knife. Only fresh product is suitable for this recipe. After defrosting, the consistency of the cabbage becomes less dense and it will not hold its shape.
Pour water into a saucepan, add a little salt and put on fire. After boiling, gently dip the cabbage into boiling water and boil for about 5 minutes, then put it on a dish and let it cool slightly. It is important to do this carefully and also not to overcook the food in order to preserve the integrity of the vegetable.
Prepare a flavored sauce in a separate bowl. Beat eggs with sour cream, add mustard, good quality vegetable oil, add a little salt and pepper. Rinse greens and chop finely. Peel the garlic cloves and pass through a press. Put the herbs and chopped garlic in a bowl and beat all the ingredients with a blender at low speed. The sauce should be smooth.
Put the cauliflower on a baking sheet covered with foil, and coat with the resulting sauce on all sides. Wrap the foil and cook in the oven at 180 ° C for 20 minutes, then open the door, open the foil and cook for another 15 minutes. The finished dish can be served on a large plate or cut into portions, but it looks more effective as a whole. Garlic sauce based on sour cream will complement the taste of cabbage.
Instead of sour cream in this recipe, you can use natural yogurt without any aromatic additives and without sugar. With it, the dish will turn out to be less high-calorie.
Baked cabbage with cheese
Cream cheese successfully emphasizes the delicate taste of cauliflower. To prepare an exquisite dish, you will need:
- a head of cauliflower (600-800 g);
- 200-250 g of cheese;
- some salt;
- 3 eggs;
- half a bunch of greens;
- a little ground black pepper;
- 4-6 tbsp milk or cream.
From a cauliflower cabbage, remove the lateral leaves, damaged areas, and then disassemble it into inflorescences. Boil large inflorescences for 5 minutes. Don't forget to add salt to the water in the saucepan. Throw the inflorescences in a colander after cooking.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with butter or cream with a fork, add a little salt and pepper, and add the chopped herbs. In this recipe, it is better to use parsley or dill. Grate the cheese and pour into the egg-cream mixture.
Put the boiled inflorescences in a fireproof dish, pour the resulting sauce and bake in the oven at 180 ° C for 30-40 minutes. This dish should be served hot.
Cabbage with cheese will turn out to be even more delicious if you put slices of ham on it before pouring the sauce. You can also serve ham as an addition to the dish.
Cauliflower baked in batter
Cauliflower, cooked in batter, turns out to be amazingly tasty and tender. But it must be borne in mind that the batter significantly increases the calorie content of the finished dish. This type of culinary treatment is not suitable for those who are on a diet, but it will greatly delight lovers of delicious food. To prepare cabbage you will need:
- a head of cauliflower (1 kg);
- some salt;
- 150 g of cheese;
- 4 eggs;
- half a bunch of greens;
- a little ground black pepper;
- half finely ground flour.
Disassemble the head of cauliflower into inflorescences and boil them in salted water for 5-7 minutes, and then discard them in a colander to drain the water. You can remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon. Some housewives prefer to bring the cabbage to half cooked in a double boiler, which is also acceptable.
Beat eggs, mix in a bowl with flour, add chopped greens to the mass. Grate cheese and also pour into a bowl, salt and pepper, mix everything thoroughly. Add water gradually and stir the mixture. The mass should be thick enough. Dip the inflorescences in it and put them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 180 ° C for 20 minutes. To give the batter an unusual flavor and splendor, you can replace the water in the recipe with mineral water or even dark beer.
You can serve such a dish with a white sauce or a sauce based on sour cream with the addition of garlic, herbs.
Cauliflower baked with minced meat
Minced meat increases the calorie content of baked cabbage, but at the same time makes it satisfying. To prepare a delicious lunch or dinner, you will need:
- a head of cauliflower (1 kg);
- several slices of smoked bacon;
- 200 g minced meat (chicken can be used);
- some salt;
- 100 g of hard cheese;
- 1-2 tbsp. l fine flour;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- half a bunch of greens;
- a little ground black pepper;
- 1 egg;
- 1 onion;
- 200 ml sour cream;
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Divide the head of cauliflower into inflorescences, and then place in a saucepan with water and cook for 10 minutes. The water must be salted. Throw boiled cabbage in a colander.
Peel the onion head and chop it finely, then fry it with chopped bacon. The onion should be lightly browned. Put the minced meat with a bowl, salt, add a little black pepper or any spices to taste. Crush the peeled garlic cloves using a special press and put in a bowl. Also add an egg, fried onions and bacon to the minced meat, which should be cooled beforehand. To give the mass a denser consistency, add a little flour. The greens will emphasize the taste of the dish, so you can add it in a chopped form to the minced meat and mix everything thoroughly.
Grease a refractory dish with vegetable oil and put the inflorescences in it in even rows, and then fill all the gaps with minced meat with additives. You can lay out the products in rows, placing the meat component on the cabbage layer, and on top another layer of inflorescences. Grate cheese and mix with sour cream. You will get a thick sauce, which needs to be well smeared with the upper cabbage inflorescences. Bake the dish in the oven at 180 ° C for 30 minutes. A delicious cheese crust should form at the top. This casserole is good both warm and cold.
You do not need to disassemble the cabbage into small inflorescences, but cut the head of cabbage into 2 or 4 parts, boil, and then fill all the gaps with minced meat, bake the dish, but the cooking time in this case will increase by 5-7 minutes.
Cauliflower in the oven vegetarian
A very tasty and at the same time low-calorie dish can be prepared from cauliflower, corn, tomatoes and other vegetables. This will require:
- a head of cauliflower (500-600 g);
- 3 ripe meaty tomatoes;
- sweet pepper;
- some salt;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- half a bunch of greens;
- half a can of canned corn;
- some vegetable oil;
- some ground black pepper.
Divide the head of cauliflower into inflorescences, boil in water with salt. You can bring it to half-readiness by reducing the cooking time to 5 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes into slices or cups. Peel the pepper and cut into thin strips. Pass the garlic clove through a press, and chop the herbs finely. Put boiled cabbage inflorescences, tomato cubes or slices, canned corn and pepper on top in a fireproof baking sheet or a saucepan with low sides. Mix the garlic with vegetable oil, add a little spices, and then grease the top layer with this aromatic mixture.
You can use fresh corn instead of canned corn in this recipe. But first you need to boil it, separate the grains. The optimal mode for baking cabbage with vegetables is 30 minutes at a temperature of 180 ° C. This dish is perfect with boiled rice as a side dish. If served separately, you can complement it with a fresh cucumber salad.
Cauliflower baked with fish
Cauliflower with fish is a good dish that can even be served on a festive table. To prepare it, you need the following products:
- a head of cauliflower (1 kg);
- 400 g fish fillet (pike perch, cod);
- some salt;
- 70-100 g of cheese;
- 50 g green peas;
- 1-2 tbsp. l fine flour;
- some fresh dill;
- half a bunch of green onions;
- a little ground black pepper;
- 200 ml sour cream;
- 1 small lemon;
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard;
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Lean fish fillets without skin or bones are suitable for this recipe. If there is a frozen semi-finished product, you must first defrost it, and then remove the skin, cut each fillet into 2-3 pieces.
In a bowl, combine Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Squeeze the juice from a quarter of the lemon, and leave the rest to decorate the dish. Add a little salt, pepper, mix all the ingredients and marinate the fish in it for 3 minutes.
Put the fillet on the bottom of the refractory form, sprinkle it with chopped herbs, as well as chopped green onions. Place the green peas on top. You can use both fresh peas and canned peas. Place the fish in the oven. The optimal baking parameters are 15 minutes at 180 ° C. To prepare a fragrant sauce, grate the cheese, mix with medium-fat sour cream, add a little salt, pepper, add flour to thicken. You can use starch as a thickener.
Add quite a bit of salt to a pot of water and boil the cauliflower inflorescences in it. It is enough to cook them for about 5 minutes, after which you should carefully discard the cabbage in a colander. It shouldn't fall apart. Open the oven, put cauliflower in the form of inflorescences on the fish and pour over the sauce made from a mixture of grated cheese and sour cream. Continue baking for 15 minutes at 180 ° C. When serving, garnish the dish with sprigs of herbs and thin slices of lemon.
