Sequestration Meal #491

 

Although I love cooking from books rather than just from online recipes, I don't do it nearly enough. Online recipes have their place--and still a huge one!--but I also love the way I feel differently connected to the world when I make older recipes. I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone but me. But when, in cauliflower season, I read an incidentally vegan recipe in my battered copy of the Joy of Cooking (1997), I had to make it!

This is what they entitled cauliflower, potato, and spinach curry. It's in the vegetable section of all places, buried among the side dishes. But with the chickpeas it also called for, I knew it would be great as a meal with the suggested rice alongside it. Plus, I was intrigued by an ingredient you rarely see in curries: Apple! Could there be a more perfect recipe for early fall?

For this, you start by parboiling the cauliflower, followed by the potato, and then setting that aside to cook onions with minced apple, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno, then curry powder and flour. To that, one adds coconut milk, salt, veggie broth, chickpeas, and the reserved veggies. After simmering for a while, one then throws in spinach and cooks that down. Season with black pepper and you're ready to serve with hot cooked rice.

I don't think you'd know there was apple in this unless I told you. It was great, though! I would happily make this again, perhaps in some of the suggested variations (i.e., substitutions like peas instead of spinach).

I am so glad it is cauliflower season; I love cauliflower and always have (well before it was trendy--which I don't think it is anymore). Do you have a favorite way to eat cauliflower? Or maybe just a cool, unusual way? Let me know.