A favorite appetizer at my restaurant Zarela used to be small deep-fried tortitas (fritters) of broccoli florets in a delicate batter. They’re not something I’d cook for myself at home, but they were the inspiration for this streamlined dish based on cauliflower. It’s less like the American idea of a pancake than one of those southern Indian savory snacks called “uttapam,” the size of mini-pizzas. I often serve it with salsa de tomate asado.
Use any method you prefer for pre-cooking the cauliflower. I often steam a small head in one piece — it takes about 8 minutes in a steamer basket over simmering water in a deep, tightly covered pot — and use part for a vegetable salad or tossed pasta dish, part for the pancake. Cotija, often sold packaged in pie-shaped wedges, is a hard, grainy, very salty cheese generally used in small amounts. Parmesan is an acceptable substitute, though a little sweeter-flavored.
Cauliflower Pancake (Torta de coliflor)
Ingredients
- ¼-⅓ cup canned pickled jalapeños preferably Herdez or La Morena brand with carrots (see above), drained before measuring
- ½ head cooked cauliflower
- 1 small white onion peeled
- A few small handfuls of fresh green herbs preferably a combination of flat-leaf parsley, basil, and cilantro, leaves stripped from stems
- 2 ounces Mexican-style cotija or Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Finely chop the pickled jalapeños with some of the carrots. Finely chop the cauliflower (you should have about 2 cups) and onion (about ½ cup). Mince the herbs together to obtain about ½ cup. Grate the cheese, which should yield about ½ cup. Place all these ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs and add the flour, whisking to eliminate lumps. Whisk in the salt. Add the mixture to the other ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to let the batter rest. If it seems too thick, stir in a dash of the pickling liquid from the peppers.
- In a heavy-bottomed 9- to 10-inch skillet, heat the oil to rippling over medium-high heat. Scrape the pancake mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden on the underside. Carefully invert the pancake onto a plate and slide it back into the pan to cook the other side until golden, about 3 minutes. Slide onto a serving platter, cut into pie-shaped wedges, and serve at once.
