Charred Cauliflower Stew Recipe (2024)

I made this stew last night. It was excellent. The lemony topping really makes the dish outstanding. With my second bowl of stew, I drizzled olive oil onto the surface, with a nice result. I am not a vegetarian, but this stew got me a little closer.

I agree. Don't partially grill the cauliflower then add it to the boiling soup as per recipe. Fully grill and add the cauliflower as a finisher on top so it retains its char and texture. I also used less stock to make the stew thicker.

This is a wonderful recipe. It's a bit labor intensive, but well worth the effort. I substituted carrots for parsnip (because I had them) and arugula for watercress. The tarragon and picked cauliflower really add a nice finish. I will definitely make this again.

Excellent but needs tweaking to be successful. If you only grill the cauliflower 3 min/side, it's underdone. The grilled portion either needs to be fully cooked (5-7/side) or cook half the grilled with the raw, reserving the best florets for the finish (rough chopping won't achieve the likes of the photo). The smokiness then deepens the purée without compromising the terrific contrasts. Use basque chile or even chile de arbol instead of cayenne. Lastly, consider pureeing 3-4 cups.

We preferred this as a soup (pureed all of it) and then stirred in the charred cauliflower. The watercress (chopped stems and leaves) and the toppings really elevate this soup into something moreish. I also used homedmade chicken stock which made it that much richer and a one pot meal for a sunny, cold April evening.

My husband and I are vegetarians who worry a bit about getting enough protein. So, I added a cup and a half of white beans precooked in stock to this soup when I added the potato and cauliflower. It turned out quite tasty. In future, I think I will try substituting the white beans for some of the potato. The pickled cauliflower really brightens the flavors, so I think I will also double that.

We made this exactly as it is, and it was WONDERFUL! The watercress floated to the top and it looked just like the photo. We used 1 whole teaspoon of salt. The lemon/grated cauliflower made a fantastic contrast and it was much appreciated in the recipe. We used grated white cheddar cheese for the topping, which is what we had on hand. We served this with Pugliese bread. This is certainly a keeper recipe--and one we will proudly serve to dinner guests.

For a family of 3, I halved the recipe -- except for the onion and garlic. We had generous dinner portions and still there was enough left for 2 lunch servings. Broiler worked perfectly for charring the cauliflower. Sweet potatoes a tasty substitute for Yukon Gold, as was arugula for the watercress. Agree that the lemony, pickled cauliflower topping added a lot. For our vegan, who yearned for more protein, scattered slices of smoked apple sage vegan sausage over the top. It was a hit.

My family liked this and felt healthy eating it! Some changes: I charred the requisite amount as florets until they were cooked. Got desired look and degree of doneness. Next time I will salt them with French grey sea salt before I char. Changed the pepper from cayenne to habanero chili powder--great; used chicken stock that I had made myself rather than vegetable stock. Pureed more of the soup. Next time may drizzle olive oil on top rather than use any cheddar cheese; use more watercress.

This ended up being a soup instead of a stew. I used an immersion blender because even after I puréed the big chunk of cauliflower, the result seemed too watery. Kept the charred pieces whole. Used cumin instead of coriander, because that's what was on hand. Overall, I'm pleased with the result, even if it looks nothing like the photo. Tastes good.

I love this! I made it as written, except I used chicken stock, and I charred both side of the cauliflower. It's such a nutritious dish, and has such interesting flavors. Next time I'll double up on the pickled cauliflower. And I agree with others, this serves a lot more than 6.

Good, not great. Would have cooked the grilled in the oven to make sure was caramelized. Would have had less stock and made a thicker stew, much thicker, to which to add the caramelized cauliflower. Thought the marinated c was great as a topping along with the watercress and cheese. A lot of work for a so-so dish and I LOVE cauliflower in all of its forms and formats.

Even my husband, the carnivore, liked this. The charred cauliflower tastes a little like bacon and the stew is quite filling. I made a half batch-just about right for two servings. I used spinach instead of watercress and it worked well. All of the steps are a little confusing (what to sauté together and when) but it will be easier next time and well worth it. This one goes in my favorite vegetarian entrees file.

I love that this soup is both vegetarian (vegan if desired) and so customizable. I substituted togarashi for cayenne, leek for onion, cumin for coriander. I did also char the cauliflower a lot longer. I found that you really have to season aggressively in order to get everything to sing right.

Totally agree on the pickled cauliflower and tarragon. I was hesitant but followed the recipe anyway. Great tastes with both of these and I don't usually like tarragon!

For all the work, rather boring, we found. If we make it again, we will make more purée, add some red pepper flakes…but probably won’t make it again.

I followed the recipe. This stew was a lot of work for very little flavor. It would nit even make a good soup. I will not make it again.

Yes, this seems like a lot of work - but it wasn't really, and the stew is wonderful!!! Not sure it needs the cheddar on top (which would make it vegan)? The layers of flavor are incredible, and don't skip the pickled cauliflower! My partner asked for it to be in the rotation.

And what about if you don’t have a grill? Instructions for roasting or broiling??

Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Never was a huge fan of cauliflower, but now I might reconsider. We left out the cheddar to make it vegan and used selfmade parsley pesto instead, which also worked beautifully.

I recommend making more (2x-3x) of the pickled cauliflower (and avoiding the temptation to snack on it while waiting for the soup to cook lol). It really pushes this soup to the next level. Since I only have enough for 3 servings and don’t have an additional cauliflower, I may try kimchi or pickled radish instead

This dish is delicious. It's not the easiest recipe but it's worth the effort. And yes, the pickled cauliflower is a MUST! As for mods, I subbed parsnips with carrots, cayenne with chili oil, charred both sides of cauliflower, used only 6 cups of stock, arugula in place of watercress and topped the dish of with a circle of quality EVOO, cheese, a pinch of herbs de provance and the brined cauliflower with another circle of its juice. I'll definitely be making this again.

Looks like I missed this recipe the first time around, but I'm off to buy ingredients now so I can make this tonight. It sounds wonderful!

To add umami and flavor and stay vegetarian, I added a spoon of white miso paste, two umeboshi, and three crumbled hot Italian beyond sausages that I broiled with the cauliflower. I also cut the amount of potatoes to half a lb, since the potatoes don't add much in terms of flavor. To enhance the brightness of the lemon juice, I added parsley. NO blending. The blending just ruins the natural textures of the veggies and hom*ogenizes things. I also more of the mustard powder and coriander.

Really wonderful. Would recommend decreasing the broth/water to 4 or 6 cups. Makes a lot more than 4-6 servings and I have a lot left over to freeze. Topped mine with some dill and chives as well as tarragon and it was delicious! Really amplified the pickled cauliflower. Also subbed the cheddar for some goat’s milk Gouda and it worked really well with the flavors.

Flavors are very good. I used homemade turkey stock and added 1.5C of white beans. Next time, I will reduce (or eliminate?) the potatoes - too heavy for me with the beans. I loved the watercress and need more. Also, this makes a large pot of stew (partly due to the beans I added). Seems way more than 6 servings! It would be nice to add serving size to the nutritional information.

That was WAY more trouble than it was worth.

I mixed chopped fresh dill and parsley into the pickled cauliflower and topped the stew with that. Delicious!

Don't partially grill the cauliflower then add it to the boiling soup as per recipe. Fully grill and add the cauliflower as a finisher on top so it retains its char and texture. I also used less stock to make the stew thicker.

use carrot instead of parsnip