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A commitment to simple, healthy eating has remained a hallmark of Dutch cuisine, even into the 21st century. Oxfam’s Good Enough to Eat index even ranked the Netherlands as the number one country in the world for having the most plentiful, affordable, and nutritious diet, including eggs, dairy, meat and vegetables.
The Dutch eat a lot of cauliflower! Not surprising really, because bloemkool (cauliflower), has always been an affordable and available vegetable in the Netherlands. It's mostly grown around West-Friesland, in North Holland, on the islands and near Venlo in Limburg.
Cauliflower is also a very versatile vegetable: it's easy and quick to prepare, and is fairly neutral in taste. Nowadays, cauliflower is eaten both raw (in salads or with a dip) and cooked, as a substitute for rice and mashed potatoes in low-carb recipes, or in au gratin casseroles, cheesy soups or as the main vegetable in the traditional Dutch AGV (potatoes, vegetables, and meat) menu.
If you’d like to experiment with this seemingly basic vegetable, here are a few recipes to make your foray into cooking cauliflower the Dutch way easy and delicious!
This recipe is served oma-style, the old-fashioned way, which is boiled and with a "papje", a white sauce. Traditionally, this is accompanied by boiled potatoes, and a choice of meat, most often a gehaktbal, a meatball, but it goes well with almost any kind of protein. Colorwise, it's all very beige on your plate, but it is such a comforting dish! Big, soft lumps of cauliflower, covered in a silky, creamy sauce seasoned with salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top - you can't go wrong.
Ideally, make the sauce with the cooking liquid, and just a splash of cream at the end, to get more of that cauliflower flavor. Be careful to avoid overcooking to retain as much nutrition as possible. The rest of the cooking liquid can be puréed with the leftovers the next day to make a cheesy bloemkoolsoep (cauliflower soup) for lunch!
Ingredients: 2 lbs (1 kg) cauliflower, rinsed and broken into florets 5 cups water 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce: 4 tablespoons (50 grams) butter 1/3 cup (50 grams) flour 2 cups (500 ml) milk or cooking liquid Salt, white pepper, nutmeg
Method:
Bring the water to a boil, salt, and add the cauliflower. Boil at medium heat for about fifteen minutes, then check to see if the texture is to your liking: the longer you cook it, the softer it gets.
When it's the right texture, drain the cauliflower but save the water, and measure out two cups (500 ml). (Don't discard the rest of the cooking water if you are planning on making soup with the leftovers).
Put the empty cooking pot back on the stove, and in it, melt the butter (do not brown). With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until the two have come together as a paste, and slowly add the two cups of milk or cooking liquid, while stirring. Keep stirring until the lumps are gone and the sauce has thickened and is hot. Bring up to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the cauliflower back into the pot with the sauce, stir once or twice so that the vegetable is covered with the sauce, or serve the sauce on the side.
Right before serving, sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg over the cauliflower. Serve with boiled potatoes.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower – one head of cauliflower. You don’t want florets here as it should be the full head to roast. Olive oil – or avocado oil works well too Garlic – or use garlic powder if you prefer Parmesan cheese – grated Dried basil and parsley
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse cauliflower head and pat try then gently remove the outer leaves and cut off the bottom so it’s flat and most of the woody stem is removed (keep the head intact).
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, cheese and seasonings.
Place the trimmed cauliflower head upside down (core side up) onto a dutch oven(about 6 quarts in size).
Drizzle 1/2 the sauce over the cauliflower to make sure it covers all around.
Flip over and drizzle remaining sauce on top. Use a pastry brush to spread it cross too so the entire head is covered.
Cover the dutch oven with a lid and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender (stick a fork in it to see).
Remove the lid and sprinkle some extra grated parmesan cheese on top then broil for 5 minutes or until the cauliflower is brown and golden.
Serve while warm with desired mains.
Ingredients: 2 lbs (1 kg) cauliflower, rinsed and broken into florets 5 cups water 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce: 4 tablespoons (50 grams) butter 1/3 cup (50 grams) flour 2 cups (500 ml) milk or cooking liquid 1 cup (113 grams) cheese, shredded Salt, white pepper, nutmeg
For the gratin: 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or Panko. 4 tablespoons (55 grams) butter, divided
Method:
Bring the water to a boil, salt, and add the cauliflower. Boil at medium heat for about fifteen minutes, then check to see if the texture is to your liking: the longer you cook it, the softer it gets.
When it's the right texture, drain the cauliflower, but save the water, and measure out two cups (500 ml). (Don't discard the rest of the cooking water if you are planning on making soup with the leftovers). Put the empty cooking pot back on the stove, and in it, melt the butter (do not brown) for the sauce. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until the two have come together as a paste, and slowly add the two cups of milk or cooking liquid, while stirring. Keep stirring until the lumps are gone and the sauce has thickened and is hot. Fold in half of the cheese. Bring up to taste with salt and pepper and if desired, a pinch of nutmeg.
Add the cauliflower back into the pot with the sauce, stir once or twice so that the vegetable is covered with the sauce.
Heat the oven to 375F/190C. Butter a baking dish (8 x 11 inches/20 x 28 cm) with a little bit of the butter for the gratin, and pour in the hot cauliflower. Give the baking dish one or two shakes so that the contents distribute evenly over the dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the rest of the cheese, and sprinkle it over the cauliflower. Cut the rest of the butter in small pats or strips and place them strategically on the breadcrumbs. Set the baking dish on the middle rack of the hot oven, and bake for ten to twelve minutes, or until the butter has melted and the breadcrumbs are golden. If you want, you can finish the dish under the broiler during the last minute or so - the melted butter will brown the breadcrumbs nicely - but do not walk away as it will burn quickly.
Serve with boiled potatoes and gehaktballen, meatballs, or braadworst, bratwurst. A side of appelmoes, applesauce, is also tasty. This dish lends itself perfectly for a typical Dutch practice: prakken
Do try these simple yet effective ways to cook cauliflower for a healthy, nutritious and low-calorie meal, inspired by Dutch cuisine!
References:
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