Mashed Cauli/Pots

Why is comfort food so often unpretty? Even when it's delicious?

For Thanksgiving, my friend Jamie brought a mashed cauliflower dish and a raw carrot cake. This tasty cauliflower dish ended up going really well with the mushroom gravy I'd made. Like I've said before, making traditional ethnic food of the generically white peoples of middle America is often a change of pace for me. It hadn't even occurred to me that mashed cauliflower and gravy were a predestined pairing!

I remade the recipe this week to get some photos of it, and to use up a cauliflower that had been lurking at the back of my fridge through it all. I threw in a potato I had as well, so it really tastes like both vegetables equally. I ended up using a bit too much liquid for my tastes; next time I'll try to keep it a bit more solid.

Mashed Cauliflower and Potato (with Mushroom Gravy and Braised Tempeh Cutlets)

Mashed Cauliflower (and Potato)

(adapted from choosing raw)

Ingredients

olive oil

1 shallot, minced

3 garlic, minced

pinch salt

pinch thyme

1 potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1 cauliflower, cut into pieces

1/2-1 c water

optional: nondairy milk or creamer

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Saute shallot and garlic over medium heat with a pinch of salt.
2. When shallot and garlic are soft and fragrant, add thyme, potato, and cauliflower. Stir once, then add water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are quite soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. In a blender, puree it all, adding extra water only as needed. Return to pot, reheat, adjust seasonings to taste, and serve hot. Serves about 3.