Cauliflower Salad with Walnut Dressing

How to boil cauliflower

1. The salad is not difficult to make; the important principle is that the ingredients must be absolutely fresh and the proportions should not be disturbed too much.

   You need good, white cauliflower. I remember as a child it always amused me that the white head of cabbage was called “colored”. By the way, calling a head of cauliflower a “kochan” (cabbage head) is wrong. It is an inflorescence, a flower. That’s why it’s “cauliflower”. Cauliflower should be white or slightly yellowish, and never greenish. In my grandmother’s garden we always covered the cauliflower heads with leaves so they would not darken and would stay white. Beautiful white cauliflower makes an excellent salad.

   

2. Boil the head in water for 10-12 mins over medium heat without breaking it into florets, until it is softer but not yet falling apart. Just put the cauliflower in a pot stem up and cover with water. Why stem up? Cauliflower floats, and part of it sticks out of the water like an iceberg and, of course, does not cook. By the way, if the cauliflower is large, you can cook just part of it – a half or a quarter.

   

3. Cool the boiled cauliflower in cold water or in the air. While it cools, prepare the walnuts, garlic and cilantro for the dressing.

   

   With a sharp knife, cut off all the florets, cutting especially large ones into several pieces.

   

How to make the walnut dressing

1. Toast the shelled walnut kernels for 1-2 mins in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring. Grind the nuts, peeled garlic and cilantro in a blender or mortar to a paste. Add salt, then ground coriander, khmeli suneli and 1-2 pinches of hot ground pepper to taste.

   

2. Stir the nut mixture and add wine vinegar or pomegranate juice. The amount of acidity is strictly individual, but the dressing should be slightly runny, like very thick honey.

   

How to assemble the salad

1. Peel the sweet red onion and cut it into thin strips. If the onion is too sharp, slice it ahead of time and mix it with 1 tsp of wine vinegar so it marinates slightly.

   

2. Mix the boiled cauliflower and the sliced onion and pour the prepared dressing over them. If you like, add a little finely chopped herbs. Then toss gently.

   

3. Put the dish in a cold place for 1 hour.

Serving

1. Serve the salad cold as an appetizer with wine and other drinks, or as a side dish for roast meat, homemade shashlik or other dishes. I suggest adding khachapuri with cheese or meat.

   

   The salad also goes very well with a hot pepper appetizer.