Basic Steamed Cauliflower

With cauliflower, steaming is better than simmering, not only because it’s faster but because the cauliflower won’t become waterlogged. (If you’re in a hurry, cut the cauliflower up first.) When you’re done, you have several choices: Serve hot with butter, extra virgin olive oil, and/or lemon juice and garnish with parsley. Or shock , put in a covered container, and either refrigerate for up to 2 days or break the cauliflower into florets and follow the directions for Precooked Vegetables in Butter or Oil
or use in other recipes.

1 head cauliflower, about 11/2 pounds, trimmed

• Put the cauliflower in a steamer above an inch or two of salted water.
• Turn the heat to high, cover and cook until the cauliflower is just tender enough to be pierced with a thin-bladed knife. (Because it’s large, whole cauliflower will retain quite a bit of heat after cooking, so it should still be ever-so-slightly underdone when you remove it from the steamer.) Total cooking time will be 12 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the head

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: About 30 minutes