A February salad

At Black Pot Catering, we believe in cooking with locally grown, seasonal ingredients whenever possible, but there are times when our commitment is stretched.   February is one of them, when the vegetables in season are almost exclusively roots and brassicas.  Of course we love roots and brassicas, which make wonderful stews, soups and hearty side dishes.   But our clients don't always want ribsticking fare: our ladies in particular favour food that's light, healthy and refreshing as well as seasonal.   

Cauliflower & hazelnut salad with elderflower dressing

Enter cauliflower, the most delicate of the brassicas.  Newly fashionable and with good reason, cauliflower is hugely versatile and given the right treatment can feel remarkably glamorous.   Cauliflowers are available all year round but the winter varieties have great flavour, and along with beetroot and carrot, they are one of the few winter veg that work really well raw.   We devised this simple salad using mandolin-shaved cauliflower, which gives a pretty English-lace effect, with toasted hazelnuts and a fragrant dressing made from elderflower cordial.  The cordial brings a whiff of summer to come. 

Ingredients (for 4)

1/2 medium cauliflower, washed and trimmed of leaves
½ small bunch dill, chopped
½ small bunch chives, chopped
few hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed 
Dressing 
2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp hazelnut or walnut oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp elderflower cordial
salt + pepper 

Instructions

Separate the cauliflower into large florets. Using a mandolin, shave the florets.  If you have a mandolin with a finger guard, so much the better.  If not, be careful!  Try to get as many slices as possible which include some stem and some of the flower.   Combine all dressing ingredients and mix through the cauliflower.   Add herbs and mix again. Turn cauliflower onto serving plate and garnish with hazelnuts.