Hello, my readers! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I started thinking about this recipe for deep-fried cauliflower in December because it happens to be a very popular dish around the holidays for Italians and for some pizza shops. The holidays have passed now, but it’s delicious any time of the year. People often associate cauliflower with the standard cheese sauce; however, there are many ways to prepare this tasty veggie. Some chefs have been known to make pizza crusts using cauliflower, eggs and goat’s cream cheese.

Cauliflower is a popular vegetable around the country because it’s so versatile and highly nutritious—it’s a great source of potassium and vitamin C. Deep-frying is one of the most common ways to prepare cauliflower, and people love it. It also can be served over pasta, as a side dish or an appetizer, and in antipasto. So eat up and enjoy! Mangia!

You’ll Need:

1 large cauliflower
1 egg
1 c. flour                        
¾ c. dry wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil (enough to deep-fry)

Directions:

Soak the cauliflower in a bowl of salted water. In a mixing bowl, beat the flour, egg, salt and pepper. The mixture will be very thick, so add the wine, if necessary, to make it runny. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Steam the cauliflower until just tender. Do not overcook. Let it cool, then cut into small florets. Dip the cauliflower in the flour mixture. Heat the cooking oil in a deep fryer and drop in one floret to test the heat level. Once the oil has heated up, set the fryer to 360°F, then deep-fry the cauliflower florets until they turn golden-brown. Remove the florets from the hot oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Serve hot.