Cauliflower and Rice Salad

This is a great in-between season dish which can be customised as you fancy, depending on weather and contents of your fridge and pantry. 

Cauliflower and rice salad.

Rice mixed with cooked cauliflower and dressed with a creamy dressing, this is a dish that is relatively quick and easy to prepare and works perfectly well as a casual lunch or a flavourful side dish. 

It can be served at any temperature and dressed up or down according to appetite. The inspiration here are two of the most delicious sauces for fondue chinoise, a curry sauce and a herby garlicky sauce. 

The cauliflower can be simply boiled or steamed, or for tastier results baked in the oven with garlic and extra spices. (Try wedges of lemon, bay leaves and even smoked paprika if you fancy, and lots of olive oil.) A dressing of half mayonnaise and half Greek yoghurt makes a well balanced salad, although crème fraiche can be used instead, and for extra old-fashioned results, as would be the case in an original German potato salad, Swiss meat accompaniment or British coronation chicken, the over-the-top indulgent whipped cream .

You can used your favourite herbs, spices, nuts and dried fruit, omitting or adding any and all. 

You can also experiment with adding celery or apple or both, for some extra freshness and crunch. Or even a mild cow cheese like a mi-salé Gruyere or Emmenthal.

The salad will keep refrigerated for a few days. Serve as a side dish to roast chicken or cod, or as part of a salad spread or early spring picnic. 

The salad is gluten-free. Use a dairy-free yoghurt such as cashew or coconut yoghurt and vegan mayonnaise to make dairy-free or vegan. 

Curried Cauliflower and Rice Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

Rice, basmati or medium grain, 260g

Cauliflower, 1 head

Almonds, a handful, chopped

Raisins – or apricots or apples, a handful 

Curry powder, half-1 teaspoonful depending on strength

Lemon, 1

Greek yoghurt, 3 tablespoonfuls

Mayonnaise, 3 tablepoonfuls

Cayenne pepper, a pink

Parsley, a sprig, chopped

Salt, black pepper

Optional:

Turmeric, saffron

Celery

Dill, coriander

Garlic

Bay leaf

Olive oil

Instructions.

1.      Wash the rice and set to cook.

2.     Bring a separate pan of salted water to boil and cook the cauliflower chopped into small florets. Alternatively bake in the oven at 180 degrees until browned and soft, together with garlic, lemon and bay leaves and choice of spices if using (curry powder, saffron, cumin, cayenne, turmeric etc. and doused in olive oil). Cover the raisins with a small amount of hot water and leave to soften, the drain.

3.     Make the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and spices and chopped parsley and dress the cauliflower mixed together with rice and the raisins, sprinkled with extra parsley and chopped almonds. Alternatively serve the rice with the side of the cauliflower and the dressing on the side, sprinkled with almonds and parsley. Ideally the dressing is made an hour in advance so that the flavours have time to infuse. 

Herby Cauliflower Salad.

Ingredients.

Rice, basmati or medium grain, 300g

Cauliflower, 1 head

Almonds or cashew nuts, a handful, chopped

Raisins or dates or prunes, a handful

Lemon, 1

Greek yoghurt, 3 tablespoonfuls

Mayonnaise, 3 tablepoonfuls

Parsley

Dill

Mustard, wholegrain or Dijon, a small tablespoon

Honey, a tablespoon

Lemon, 1

Garlic, to taste

Salt, black pepper 

Optional:

Apple, sliced

Celery, chopped

Mint

Anchovies

Olive oil

Instructions.

Proceed as above with the rice and cauliflower.

To make the dressing, mix mustard and the honey, together with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Add the mayonnaise and yoghurt, together with the chopped herbs. Cut the garlic clove in half and leave to marinade in the cream sauce; discard before using the dressing to make it easier to digest. (Or crush the garlic and mix it in if you like fresh garlic. Alternatively use wild garlic leaves.)

For a more savoury dressing pound the anchovy with the garlic at the start and use as a base for the dressing. Leave to stand for an hour and dress the cauliflower mixed through with the rice, or on the side.