I had the privilege of attending the London Produce Show this year, where I met lots of very passionate people who love the food they grow and the people that help them grow it.
Just take a look at what I got up to.
I cooked a delicious dish especially for the show, showcasing one of my most loved veggies. As with many of my recipes, I decided to look at what was current and seasonal, with a bit of Indian history to it — the humble cauliflower.
Captain Cauliflower
This vegetable is an ancient veg, packed full of Vitamin C. The standard white cauli is white because the leaves grow around the florets, shielding them from the sun. This means that chlorophyll can't develop in the cells, keeping the flower white! Food science doctorate, here I come. Nowadays you can now get cauliflowers in purple, green or yellow — how funky is that!
Caulis are also very versatile and you can do so much more with them then just cauliflower cheese (although I do love a bit of cauli c). For example, with the rising popularity of the paleo diet, it’s become very fashionable to use cauliflower as a rice substitute.
Of course, cauliflower is at the very foundation of Indian cuisine. From the wonderful Aloo Gobi to this slightly more regal Gobi Masallum, it's a vegetable that deserves to be championed.
Spicing it up across the pond
At The London Produce Show I was lucky enough to be sponsored by Tanimura & Antle — a family run farm based in California's Salinas valley. The farm produces an array of amazing vegetables and salads, so my cauli fit right into their plans.
Indian food isn't as ingrained in the US food scene as it is in the UK, so it was even more special being sponsored by such a great US producer such as Tanimura & Antle, who’ve made it their mission to bring a bit of spice to America.
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