Category: Starters

Origin: Greece

 

For how many people: 8

Preparation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 30 min

 

Story of the recipe or story of the chef:

My mother’s and grandmother’s cooking filled the air with Ottoman fragrances, as they are Greek from Asia Minor. They often served this dish as an appetizer during family lunches. I used to love it so much as a child that sometimes I would get up in the night to have some straight from the fridge and eat it with my fingers.

Ketty

 

List of ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower head, to yield approximately 1½kg of medium-sized florets
• 1 large white onion, chopped (approximately 225g)
• 3/4 coffee cup of olive oil
• 3/4 tea cup of white wine
• 1 tea cup of white dried raisins
• 1/2 tea cup of pine nuts
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tea cups of water

 

Preparation Mode:

1.    In a pan, sweat onions in the oil until soft. Do not color.

2.    Add the raisins and pine nuts. Fry them for 3 to 4 minutes without coloring them.

3.    Add the wine, water and salt. Bring to the boil.

4.    Add the cauliflower florets. Toss them well to bring the raisins and pine nuts to the surface.

5.    Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes on a high heat. The cauliflower should be cooked through, but remain firm. Stir every 10 minutes by tossing, so as not to crush the florets.

6.    Correct the salt seasoning if necessary.

7.    Drain the florets, raisins and pine nuts with a skimmer and place them on a serving plate with the raisins and pine nuts on top.

8.    Reduce the sauce on a high heat to thicken it until you get ¾ cup of liquid.

9.    Pour the sauce onto the cauliflower. Let it cool then place in the fridge. Take out of the fridge 1 hour before serving.

 

My top tips:

This dish is served cold as an appetizer. It is better when prepared a day or two in advance.