Ginger Lemon Cauliflower with Pink Peppercorns
Last weekend we spent a few days in the countryside, we felt like long walks in the forest and good hearty food prepared by my mother. Sometimes I need a break from the city buzz and the village where my mother lives is the perfect place to rest and feast!
A couple days before we left the city she called me to tell me that she spotted a beautiful farm in the area to buy her wood for the fire place. It's a fairy tail like place surrounded by hills and forest where they also have geese, turkey and fallow deer. My mother got quite excited when the woman who owns the farm offered her a deer that her husband had just shot a few days before. It was wild from the forest which the couple takes care of and not from the farm. In the next few days, I will write more about our kitchen adventure that followed and having to skin and dress the game, but for now I'll share an easier recipe with you that my mother made for us on the night we arrived.
We reached the hill where my mother lives in the early evening, the perfect time to arrive at her house! That's the time of the day when we all meet in her kitchen to enjoy a glass of champagne while we're busy cooking, nibbling and chatting. She had some oxtail leftovers, a recipe I'll definitely make again in the near future as the meat was fantastic, with an amazingly aromatic sauce. We made some Swabian Spaetzle to soak up all the thick juices and crunchy ginger lemon cauliflower on the side. I've already mentioned that this isn't my favourite of all cabbages but combined with the two spices, it showed its delicate side. I used the same combination of lemon and ginger for a velvety, fresh soup half a year ago and that's the best way to enjoy this vegetable in my opinion. My mother sprinkled some crushed pink peppercorns on top (her culinary obsession at the moment as you'll see in the following days) and it was great. That's exactly what this white cabbage needs, a strong spice attack!
Ginger Lemon Cauliflower with Pink Peppercorns
For 4 people you need
medium cauliflower head, broken into florets, 1
ginger, thinly sliced, 7 slices
zest of 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste
white wine
salt
pink peppercorns, lightly crushed in a mortar, 1 tablespoon plus more to taste
Put the cauliflower, ginger and lemon zest in a large pan. Season with salt, cover the bottom with white wine (1/2cm / 1/4") and close with a lid. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is al dente. Season with salt and lemon zest to taste and sprinkle with the pink peppercorns.
