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But is it Jewish? Cauliflower “Rice”

Last week we talked about bone broth, because anything that’s good for you is, by definition, Jewish, and therefore qualifies as Jewish food. Now some of us have found that the only way to get thin and stay thin is to eat a low carb, high fat diet. One of the best tricks of this particular diet is cauliflower rice, which has virtually no carbs, is filling like a carb, and also holds gravy and fat just beautifully (like a carb!).

This superfood is really best made with fresh cauliflower, which for Orthodox Jews, would seem to be a problem, since it is difficult to check fresh cauliflower for bugs, a religious requirement. Happily, if you grind vegetables finely, most arbiters of Jewish law believe there is no need to check the veggies for bugs. Since most people don’t, aesthetically speaking, want to eat bugs, whole or ground, soak the cauliflower in salt or vinegar water to cause any creepy crawlers to float to the top. Then rinse, drain, and pat dry before proceeding with this recipe.

Basic Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 head fresh cauliflower (soaked in salt or vinegar water, rinsed, blotted dry)
  • 4 tablespoons cooking fat of choice (butter, schmaltz, olive oil, coconut oil)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 Method:

  1. Separate cauliflower into florets and stalks. Place stalks in food processor. Pulse until finely minced and looks like medium fine couscous. Reserve. Place florets in food processor and pulse until finely minced. (You do the stalks and florets separately, because the stalks take longer to process.)
  2. Freeze portions of “rice” in bags for later use, or cook immediately, as follows:
  3. Sauté in fat of choice for 3-4 minutes in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower rice cooked through but still al dente. Season with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like. Enjoy!