Purple Tabouleh with ‘Crème Fraîche’
Recipe
I do have to admit that I find purple cauliflower completely crazy. When you cook it, the boiling water is so pink you could probably dye your clothes in it!
I do love it though. It might not taste any different from the normal cauliflower but it certainly makes a statement dish. It is also said that dark-colour foods with a purple pigment are loaded with healing antioxidants that reduce the inflammation and therefore help prevent cancer.
The purple colour in this cauliflower is caused by the presence of anthocyanins, water-soluble pigments that are found in many other plants and plant-based products, such as red cabbage and red wine.
Equipment: blender, mandoline slicer (optional)
Prep time: 10 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients
- 1 small purple cauliflower
- 1 bunch of radish
- 4 spring onions
- 50g pistachios
For the ‘Crème Fraîche’
- 170g cashews
- 50ml rice milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Juice of ½ fresh lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Method
1. Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower. Place it in a blender and blitz until it has a similar texture to rice (be careful not to turn it into baby food!)
2. Slice the radish into 1 mm rings; I use a mandoline slicer for this. Remove the roots from the spring onions and finely chop. Chop the pistachios in half. Add everything to the cauliflower.
3. Soak cashews for two hours. If you don’t have the time just place them in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them sit for 15 min.
4. To make the crème fraîche: drain the cashews and place them with all the other ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Depending on how big your cauliflower is, you might need to add a bit more milk to make the crème fraîche more runny. Add to the cauliflower and gently stir in. Add more pepper or salt if needed.