I have fond memories of making zwiebelkuchen—an onion based cake with my dad, who got promoted to Pop Pop a few years back. Thankfully, I inherited his intrepid nature for kitchen minimalism. My favorite gifts have been Yotam Ottolenghi cookbooks—-recipes with all the herbs and seemingly opposing flavors that marry beautifully on the plate. I’ve read Ottolenghi wants home cooks to respect the purity of his creation. On this one and maybe a few others, I’ll just apologize for the adaptions in advance by saying Pop Pop taught me first.
This makes a great breakfast with a fruit side or a dinner with a green salad.
Original recipe: Cauliflower cake. Ottolenghi, Yotam. Plenty More. Ten Speed Press 2014
Ingredients
4 cups Cauliflower-I used two bags of frozen, thawed
2 medium red or yellow onions- the red will have more vibrant flavor but the yellow will be more savory.
2 T olive oil
7 eggs (I used flax eggs in one of my trials-it was grand)
1/2 to 1 cup herbs basil, parsley would be my choice but savory and others would be fab too
1 cup flour (I used both all purpose & a few gluten free alternatives—for gluten free I like mixing a couple flours to get the consistency I’m looking for—teff, almond & oat might be my favorite combo)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t or one sprig rosemary
1 cup grated Parmesan or another aged cheese (see instructions for options)
1 T white or black sesame seeds
S&P
Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim your onion. Reserve a few slices for garnishing. Put the rest of the onion in a small pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Allow to cook until tender. Let cool. Whir thawed cauliflower in food processor until coarse. Add onions. Blend. Mix in eggs and herbs, then flour, oil, baking soda and spices. Prepare a springform pan by lining it with parchment. You can sprinkle the Parmesan like a crust on the pans bottom or mix it in your batter. If not using cheese, 3/4 cup amaranth 1/4 cup nutritional yeast combo works great as a crust. Top your cake with onion rings, rosemary, and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Reserve the salt for serving. A nice big flake goes a long way as a finishing touch.
