Steemit Iron Chef #12 - Grandma's Cauliflower - with Wild Waxy Cap MushroomssteemCreated with Sketch.

in #steemit-ironchef7 years ago (edited)

How can cauliflower evoke such strong memories and emotion? This dish is a tribute to my grandmother. The memories are bittersweet, but this cauliflower - and the wild mushrooms - are delicious.

x hydgrophorus cauliflower TN.jpg


My Grandmother's Cauliflower

Both of my grandmothers had a strong influence on me. I regularly quote one who lived life with joy and often hosted family gatherings. But this cauliflower dish is a tribute to my other grandmother. Her life was more difficult.

Sometimes she could barely cope with life. Growing up, it was uncertain what a visit would be like. Would she stand in her bedroom doorway, mentally unable to even come out and join the family? Or would she be fine - happy that the family was all together and able to cook and join the conversation and fun?

Nowadays, medical science understands mental health so much better than when my grandmother needed help. I'm glad there are ways of treating depression that are not as barbaric as what she experienced.

As a child, I didn't understand what was behind her changeable nature. But when she was in good spirits, she cooked cauliflower for our family gatherings. She did it simply -- just steaming the cauliflower until it was so, so soft. And then topping it with a piece of cheddar cheese that would slowly melt on top. I loved that cauliflower. And I still do today.

x hydgrophorus cauliflower 2.jpg
This simple dish is delicious to me. How can I elevate it for the Steemit Iron Chef contest?


Finding Late Fall Waxy Cap Mushrooms

I found an under-appreciated wild mushroom last week -- the Late Fall Waxy Cap mushroom, Hygrophorus hypothejus. These mushrooms have a lot of variety in the newly emerged mushrooms. They remind me of my grandmother, too, with her variety of moods. So I wanted to use these mushrooms with my cauliflower.

x hydgrophorus cauliflower 1.jpg
These mushrooms are so slimy and slick as they come up through the ground. It's hard to hold on to them! And the young mushrooms are so variable. That's one of their distinguishing characteristics. They are not the easiest mushroom to reliably identify, so I don't recommend them for beginning foragers.. I'll write a post about how I identify and prepare them. Here, I simply sauteed them in a little butter, with a dash of salt


Ready to Eat!

This isn't a complicated dish. But it's a good dish. The cauliflower is a sweet, satisfying bite. Their soft texture goes well with these mild-flavored substantial mushrooms.

x hydgrophorus cauliflower 3.jpg
Ingredients: cauliflower, cheddar cheese, Hygrophorus hypothejus mushrooms, butter, salt, Italian flat-leaf parsley - that's it!

x hydgrophorus cauliflower 4.jpg

This plate of my grandmother's cauliflower might look fancier than what she served. But it links me to her, with love and affection. And it makes sense that I serve them with wild mushrooms. Her son is my father. And he took me along to search for wild morel mushrooms when I was young. I love them both and I am thankful for the food memories I have from them.

x hydgrophorus cauliflower 6.jpg

I made this dish the day before leaving to visit my parents over the Thanksgiving holidays. I enjoyed taking my leftovers with me to eat during my travels. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!


What Do You Think?

  • Do you any foods evoke strong memories for you?
  • Have you ever found or eaten Hygrophorus hypothejus mushrooms?
  • Do you forage for any mushrooms?
  • Would you eat my cauliflower with the wild late fall waxy cap mushrooms?

I eat a lot of wild plants and show you how, because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wild places.

I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!

Thanks @progressivechef for creating the Steemit Iron Chef contest series!

I try to make content that's interesting! If you found this informative and helpful, please give it an upvote and a resteem.


Plant List

  • Late Fall Wax Cap mushroom - Hygrophorus hypothejus
  • Italian Flat-leaf parsley - Petroselinum crispum - leaves
  • Cauliflower - Brassica oleracea

Haphazard Homestead

foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land

All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead!
My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead

Sort:  

He he he, not sure I'd be happy for such a SLIMEY mushroom to remind people of me! Although they are so pretty also! Thanks for sharing!

haha -- the mushroom can't help the slime, just like my grandmother couldn't help how her brain worked. Thanks for appreciating how pretty they are. They were fun to cook because they were so pretty.

Gosh, well I would say waxcaps are some of the prettiest mushrooms there are, they often have such beautiful vibrant colours!

I agree completely. Here's to the waxy caps! :D

Look how pretty this one is, such great colours!

Not my photo: Image credit "Debbie"

cheddar and cauliflower. You and your fam are on point! Yumm....cheese please.

It's simple, but effective, lol.

Ahh, your mycological skills are legend, I swear I would just love to trail along behind you on a hike through the woods and just absorb the wisdom! You are amazing hh!!

One of the most memory provoking dishes that I can think of at the moment are blackberry dumplings. My grandma would make them with the first ripe blackberries of the season, and we would sit in the dark in her big farmhouse kitchen eating bowls of blackberry dumplings topped with vanilla ice cream and watch thunderstorms.

I enjoyed the pictures of your cauliflower and mushroom creation, as well as your grandmother reminiscing, thanks for sharing!! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to you, too, @generikat! It would be fun to look for mushrooms in your area some autumn - especially among the aspens and larch forests. There are some cool mushrooms there!

Thanks for sharing your blackberry dumpling memory, too. We were both so lucky to have grandmas that provide us with such fond memories!

I love cauliflower cheese, My nana died when I was very young, all i can remember was her with her hair in a tight bun and her apron with pockets that held evevrything lol

I'm glad you have some nice memory of your grandma, even though you lost her very young. All those pockets must have been fascinating for a little child! : )

They were magic lol :)

That's wonderful, @karenb54! Here's to the magic of grandmothers!

beautiful

It's great to read such a wonderful and powerful post! I have been 'living with food' for the past 15years morning and night my friend, and on so many plates I make I have for each such great memories!!!
ps. Your plating is becoming same like some Michelin Star Chefs out there!!! I'm amazed!

It would be neat to read about some of your food memories. I think you shared some of them when you foraged your wild berries with your family. Food memories from parents and grand-parents can mean so much.

And thanks for your encouragement. Your contest is definitely a challenge for me! But it's lots of fun.

Beautiful dish! I like the mushroom and the cheese over the cauliflower! '
Nice memories of your grandmother!

have a wonderful holiday season! ;)

Thanks, @tangmo! Maybe you would even like this vegetable, lol. Our whole family was together for a week over the Thanksgiving holiday. So it was really nice. And lots of fun. You have a wonderful holiday season, too! It's such a fun time of year.

You're welcome! It's great to hear that you had a wonderful holiday with your family! :)

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.16
TRX 0.15
JST 0.028
BTC 54483.11
ETH 2297.01
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.28