Cauliflower Risotto
Winter has arrived once more and its time to dial back my elaborate boat cooking and focus on healthier dishes for myself and the husband. We have a lot of go to things we make that are flexible on their flavors so we don’t get board, roasted vegetables with poached eggs, vegetable noodles and cauliflower rice with anything, but now and again you need to break the mold and have a cheat day. I find that I don’t crave a full on cheat day the way I use to, maybe because I’ve managed to squeeze in a few more half cheat meals. This cauliflower risotto is the perfect example of a half cheat, you have the cauliflower replacing the Arborio rice, so that’s the good part and the half bad is the little bit of everything else that makes risotto risotto.
Unlike other recipes out there I’ve crafted this recipe to be as risotto like as possible, it contains the same ingredients as regular risotto with the addition of a little flour and obviously the cauliflower replacement. The cauliflower on its own would never thicken the way Arborio rice does with all its natural starches so you have to make a little bit of a roux, just like when you make mac and cheese. This recipe is basic, it’s a jumping off point for the cauliflower risotto of your dreams, add some peas, sautéed mushrooms or more cheese and herbs.
Cauliflower Risotto
- Serves: 2
- Category: Entree, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ a small onion, diced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 4 tbsp. flour
- ½ c white wine
- ¾ - 1 c stock, chicken or vegetable
- ½ of a large head of cauliflower, grated by hand
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1/3 c grated parmesan
Directions
- In a large saucepan on medium high heat add the oil and diced onion, sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions have softened.
- Add the butter, let it melt then add the flour, stir everything together and allow the flour to cook for about 3 minutes until it smells fragrant and darkens in color.
- Add in the white wine and stock, simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
- Fold in the grated cauliflower carefully and turn down the heat to medium, cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy.
- Finish the risotto with salt, pepper and grated parmesan.
That looks absolutely delicious, Caz. I love the versatility of grated cauliflower. This one is going on my list!