For week 6 of the 52 Weeks of Vegan Cooking on Reddit the challenge was Cauliflower. My experiences with cauliflower has previously been steamed, cauliflower cheese or just eaten raw. I like cauliflower but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat it.

So I Googled cauliflower recipes and saw one for pickled cauliflower. I love pickles and anything that involves vinegar but I didn’t want to make a big batch and preserve it for a long period. I decided to make a small batch and turn it into a salad.

Ingredients:

Pickling Liquid.

1/3 Cup of White Wine Vinegar.

2/3 Cup of Rice Wine Vinegar.

1/4 Cup of Dry Sherry.

1/3 Cup of Water.

1 Tablespoon of Seeded Mustard.

2 Tablespoons of Sugar.

2 Tablespoons of Salt.

1/2 Teaspoon of Carraway Seeds.

Pinch of Chilli Powder.

1 Small Onion.

1 1/2 Cups of Cauliflower, fresh.

Note: The pickling liquid is made up of stuff I had in my pantry. You can use whatever vinegar’s and seasonings you like.

Method:

Place ingredients for Pickling Liquid in a saucepan and heat to boiling point.

Cut up Onion and Cauliflower into small to medium pieces. Random sizes are better because then you get different textures and levels of acidity.

Place the pieces in a sealable container and pour over boiling liquid. Seal and place in fridge for 2 hours. You can refrigerate for less or more time it depends on how strong a flavor you want. Just make sure that the contents have cooled completely before using.

Cut up salad ingredients and place in a bowl. I used Tomato, Spinach and Blanched Green Beans. Drain the pickles through a sieve and wash under cold water. Leave some of the seeds on the pickles for extra flavor and texture. Drain thoroughly and add to salad.

Mix and eat.

Verdict: Yummy. The pickle turned out great! The onion and cauliflower was cooked enough to soften and take away some of the rawness, especially in the case of the onion, but not so much that you lost the natural sweetness. The carraway seeds left on the pickle were lovely and provided little bursts of flavor. As for the salad it was okay. The other vegetables were a nice flavor and they broke up the acidity of the pickle but it could have used a creamy element (avocado?) to tie it together. I will definitely try this again, maybe it some different vegetables.