I first learned how to use low-carb cauliflower instead of high-carb potatoes in a book by India Knight and Nerris Thomas entitled Neris and India’s Idiot-Proof Diet: From Pig to Twig. The bad news was that I somehow managed to prove that it wasn’t idiot proof, but the good news was that in the process, I discovered some very good, lighter dishes, and also the magic method of producing mash with cauliflower.
More recently I’ve discovered the benefits of cauliflower steaks which make an excellent and surprisingly hearty, lunch topped by a whole range of things (post to come).
It’s only a skip and a jump on to consider making a kind of pastry with cauliflower. It’s a bit wet, so the thing to do is to bulk it out, and dry it out a bit using parmesan, and then bind it together with egg and form it into a base not dissimilar in texture to the biscuit base of a cheesecake. I wish I could claim the credit for it, but I got the idea from a recipe contributed by Amy Lee in Nourished Kitchen, published by The Australian Women’s Weekly – it’s genius!
This is how pies are going nowadays. The whole culinary world is becoming fluid; old, static definitions are no longer helpful. It’s a wilderness, but an exciting one!
I’ve made a lot of changes to Amy Lee’s recipe, doubling the amount of parmesan, substituting the ricotta for feta, and much else.
Cutting-edge, cauliflower pastry pie with spinach and salmon
Serves – 6
Ingredients
- 750g/1 lb 10 oz cauliflower
- 1 egg
- 100g/4 oz/1 cup grated parmesan (or 80g-120g – throw in the whole packet)
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed with ½ tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp herbes de Provence
- Pinch of Urfa pepper flakes
- Olive oil for frying, brushing etc
- 1 onion
- 400g/14 oz good quality tin of tomatoes
- 2 tbsps pesto
- 2 tbsps marsala, or red vermouth
- 400g/14 oz frozen or tinned spinach. Defrost the frozen spinach, drain both frozen and tinned spinach of extra liquid.
- 200g/7 oz feta
- 200g/7 oz boneless, skinless salmon fillet
- 2 tbsps capers
- 2 tbsps dry vermouth
- Butter for greasing the cake tin
Photos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°C.
- Butter a 23 cm/9” diameter springform tin.
- Trim the cauliflower, cut it into florets and sections, and feed them into the magimix. You may have to do this in two batches. Once the cauliflower looks like rough breadcrumbs in terms of texture, turn them out into a medium-large microwavable bowl.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and make a few small slashes with a pointed knife. Microwave on 850 for six minutes. Take out, take off clingfilm, stir, and allow to steam for a minute or two.
- Meanwhile peel and crush the garlic if you haven’t already. Stir into cauliflower.
- Add the dried herbs and the Urfa pepper flakes. Stir in.
- When the cauliflower is room temperature stir in the parmesan and the egg (which you don’t need to beat first).
- Using the back of a spoon, squeeze down the cauliflower mix into the cake tin to make a crust, covering first the bottom, and then push towards the side of the tin until the ‘pastry’ reaches about 5 cm/2 “ height.
- Bake for about half an hour until golden and firmish.
- Meanwhile peel and slice the onion, and get it frying in a medium saucepan with some olive oil.
- When it starts to go translucent – five or ten minutes – add the tinned tomatoes, and break them up. Add the pesto and the marsala (or red vermouth). Add a few more Urfa chilli flakes. You don’t need to add salt as there is loads in the feta. Bring to a simmer and reduce for about twenty minutes (until the cauliflower ‘pastry’ is ready).
- While you are baking the cauliflower ‘pastry’ and reducing the tomato sauce, cook the salmon (in the plastic/foam base it comes in if you have bought it from a supermarket) with a little dry vermouth in the microwave – on 850 for 1½ minutes – remove, turn, and return for another 1½ minutes. Leave to cool a little, and flake. Mix in the capers. If it looks dry add a little more dry vermouth and a drizzle of oil. Keep warm.
- Mix together the spinach, and crumble in the feta.
- When the ‘pastry’ is done, spread the thick tomato sauce over the bottom. Distribute the spinach-feta mix over the sauce. Brush with olive oil, and put back in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the salmon-caper mix over the top, drizzle with a little more oil if it still looks dry, take off the side of the springform tin (leave the pie on the springform base). Serve.
