Cauliflower Preserved in Brine
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pick and wash the cauliflowers, then cut off the flowering buds in large bunches.
Parboil the cauliflowers for six minutes, then immerse them in cold water and drain.
Brine
Put the cauliflowers in earthen jars with a boiled salt brine at 18 degrees (sugar weight).
Two days later, drain the brine, boil it again, adding salt to reach 18 degrees.
Pour the brine over the cauliflowers and cover the jar tightly.
Serve
When ready to use, soak the cauliflowers in cold water for five hours, then boil in fresh water and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cauliflowers
- Form the main body of the dish and absorb the brine's salt and flavour during curing.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the cauliflowers and preserves them during brining.
The step that matters
Soaking before serving. Soaking in cold water for five hours draws out excess salt from the brined cauliflowers. Skipping or shortening it leaves the dish too salty before the final boil.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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