There is a school of thought that says you should never use cruciferous vegetables — cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage — in stock. The argument is that they turn it bitter. I disagree, or at least I find that a well-flavoured stock, one that already has tomato purée or a spoonful of Dijon mustard in it, absorbs any bitterness without complaint. This cauliflower purée recipe needs nothing more than stock, butter, garlic, and white pepper.

Which is why, when I had a large head of cauliflower and a pan of good chicken stock on the go at Casa Adora, I did exactly that. Lowered the whole head into the stock and let it sit there until it was completely soft. No cream. No fuss. Just cauliflower, stock, butter, garlic, and white pepper.

The result is a cauliflower purée that is genuinely silky — not the slightly grainy, slightly watery version you get from boiling in plain water — and deeply savoury. It looks like mashed potato and behaves like mashed potato, but it is lighter and has considerably more character.

A word on the garlic: I use quite a few cloves, peeled and added raw to the blender. If you are more cautious about garlic, start with two or three and adjust. I am not cautious about garlic.

Serve it as a side dish or use it as a bed for something that deserves a good landing — braised lamb, pan-fried fish, slow-cooked pork. It holds its own underneath anything.

This cauliflower purée recipe works as a side dish or a bed for meat or fish — and it takes about 35 minutes start to finish.

If you fancy cauliflower with a bit more texture and spice, my Cauliflower: Pimping it up is worth a look.

Cauliflower Purée Recipe — Ingredients

(serves 4 as a side)

• 1 large cauliflower, leaves removed
• Enough chicken stock to submerge the cauliflower — approximately 1–1.5 litres
• 4–6 garlic cloves, peeled (adjust to taste)
• 2–3 knobs of butter (around 40–60g)
• A good pinch of white pepper
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Place the whole cauliflower head in a large pan and pour over the chicken stock. It should be mostly submerged. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until a skewer passes through the cauliflower with no resistance — about 25–30 minutes depending on size.
2. Lift the cauliflower out and transfer to a blender. Add the butter, garlic cloves, white pepper, and a ladleful of the cooking stock.
3. Blend until smooth — your cauliflower purée should be thick and silky. Add more stock a spoonful at a time if needed to reach a silky, pourable-but-thick consistency.
4. Taste and season with salt. Serve immediately, or keep warm with a lid on.

This cauliflower purée is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef