Eating For Your Future/Afghan Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce

There is an amazing Afghan restaurant near Chicago called Kabul House. One aspect of their menu that I especially enjoy is that they have a number of vegetarian dishes. One that is a favorite is a baked cauliflower dish. I love it so much that I decided to come home and try and find a similar recipe. My search lead me to a recipe that I love even more than the dish at Kabul House. It's called Gulpea, or Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce. This is one amazing recipe! If you like cauliflower, even just a little, I think you'll really enjoy this dish. The sauce is out of this world. The recipe was found on the Saveur website. If you enjoy Middle-Eastern food, or just food in general, by all means, stop by the website and see all the interesting recipes that they have to offer.      

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, peeled

4 medium vine-ripe tomatoes, cored

¹⁄₂ cup canola oil

2 small yellow onions, cut into ¼” dice

1 tbsp. ground turmeric

1 tbsp. kosher salt

2 ¹⁄₄ tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 small heads cauliflower, cut into large florets

1 large jalapeño, stemmed and sliced ¼" thick

Instructions

Purée garlic and tomatoes in a blender; set aside. Heat oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high. Cook onions until slightly caramelized, 10–12 minutes. Stir in turmeric, salt, coriander, and pepper; cook 30 seconds. Add reserved tomato mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10–12 minutes. Transfer half the sauce to a bowl. Fit cauliflower, stem side down into pot; pour reserved sauce and ½ cup water over top. Top with jalapeño; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, without stirring, until cauliflower is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The dish takes a little bit of time to make, but it is well worth the effort. Above you can see my cauliflower just prior to putting the lid on and allowing it to cook for the 45 minutes.

I felt that I wanted something a little heartier than just rice to go with my cauliflower dish, so I made a side dish using Italian Farro. Farro has a hearty, nutty taste and it's a great source of protein.

Italian Farro with Vegetables

8 oz, farro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 large carrot finely chopped
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup finely chopped kale
2 to 4 cups of water or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by cooking farro according to package directions.
Heat oil in saucepan, add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until tender. Add chopped garlic and saute for approximately another minute. Add tomato paste, cooked farro and kale, stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add water or broth. Begin with 2 cups and add more if needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook and water has been absorbed.

I actually made both the cauliflower and farro last Sunday. The farro became my go to snack throughout the week. It was so good and so satisfying.
If you decide to give it a try, I hope you enjoy both dishes as much as I did.