Stuffed Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric (gives orange-yellow color)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• About 3-pound head of cauliflower, core trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (Dannon is fine)
• 2 tablespoons each of  both ginger and garlic paste (make yourself if you can't find, recipe below)*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (virgin or regular)
• 1/4 cup roasted cashews
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green beans
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala (Allspice can be substituted)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Stir in the turmeric and 1 tablespoon salt. Then place cauliflower in pot and cook until barely tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to colander and cool.
2. In the skillet, toast the chickpea flour over moderate heat, stirring until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl, cool, and then stir in the yogurt, ginger and garlic pastes and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with 1 tablespoon salt. This is the yogurt topping.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In food processor or with chopper, finely chop the cashews. In same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the green beans and the carrot. Cook all over low heat, stirring until tender yet crisp, which should take about 5 minutes. Add Garam Masala (or Allspice), cumin, cayenne and fenugreek. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape mixture into another medium bowl, and let cool. Stir in the cottage cheese, Cheddar, currants and cashews. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Gently stuff the cauliflower with the vegetable mixture. You should try to pack small amounts of the mixture in between the flowerettes, throughout the underside and throughout the cauliflower in general. Set it in baking dish right-side up, and spoon the yogurt topping over entire head. Bake for about 1 hour, or until golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

This stuffed cauliflower goes great with warm Naan bread, and you can pair it with a crisp Napa Valley Riesling or Washington State sparkling wine if you'd like.

*Ginger-Garlic Paste: In a food processor, pulse to blend 4 ounces chopped garlic and 4 ounces chopped fresh ginger root, adding small amounts of olive oil as needed to facilitate blending. Blend until it makes a smooth paste. Refrigerate or freeze if not used right away.