DUTCH FOOD Calendar presents Cauliflower Couscous in August

Cauliflower couscous

Most of the dishes on this calendar represent traditions that go back hundreds of years. But make no mistake, modern day Dutch food culture is anything but old fashioned. The new movement ‘Dutch Cuisine’ draws on our culinary memory to propel our food culture into the 21st century. It strives to be healthy, of high quality, sustainably produced, and always from the principle ‘less is more’.  The special focus is on vegetables: every dish should consist of 80% vegetable and 20% meat or fish, and as much as possible based on what the season brings. It strives to use what nature offers us from head to tail to reduce food-waste, and as much as possible cook with high quality local, fair-trade products.

Inspired by this movement, we made a dish with cauliflower as our central vegetable.  We also added a second important trait of modern Dutch cuisine, namely its connection to other culinary cultures. Throughout the ages, Dutch cuisine has always been an extremely adaptive, influenced by an ever changing mix of cultures. As a tribute to the Moroccan community in the Netherlands and its contribution to Dutch culture, we made cauliflower-couscous: modern, easy and healthy. You can visit http://dutch-cuisine.nl/  to get your own inspiration from this approach to food and cooking, which in its aesthetics of sobriety stands in the tradition of Dutch design, Dutch architecture and Dutch fashion.

INGREDIENTS

1 cauliflower, seasonable vegetables,  greens, brynza, dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut half of cauliflower in slices of 2 cm, rub with oil and roast in oven (175 °C) for approx. 25 min on both sides.
2. For the couscous blend the rest of cauliflower to the size of couscous or rice, fry for 2 min.
3. Add all the seasonable vegetables you like such as different tomato varieties, cucumber and sweet pepper, greens (dill, parsley, mint etc) and mix with a dressing (orange & lime juice, honey, oil) through the cauliflower couscous.
4. Add Brynza or another soft cheese to your taste.

Enjoy!