After a holiday hiatus, I am back to a regular daily (except Saturday) posting schedule. After all the feasting of the last three weeks, I felt like a gentle-to-digest, comforting vegetable purée. Perfect for a back-to-work week.

serves 4

INgredients

1 head organic cauliflower

1/3 cup diced fennel

5-6 fresh basil leaves (optional)

1-2 teaspoons sea salt

black pepper to taste

Process  

Remove the greens and the tough stem of the cauliflower. Slice into the cauliflower head,

separating its florets into pieces.

 

Rinse them and then dice them into small pieces. Add 1/3 of a cup of the diced fennel into the pot.

Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Bring the cauliflower and fennel to a boil.

Cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower and fennel are both so soft and tender that a fork slips in and out easily.  Drain the cauliflower and fennel, reserving the cooking water. Chop the basil leaves.

Place the cauliflower and fennel back into the pot, adding about ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water. Use an immersion blender to purée the vegetables into a smooth mash.

Serve in small bowls, garnished with the remaining sea salt. Grind fresh black pepper on top.

Add the chopped basil to garnish the purée if desired.

©Nancy Wolfson-Moche 2013