Breaded Broccoflower

great seasoning and wonderful crunch make the coating perfect for the soft interior

I saw this beautiful green Broccoflower in the grocery store. It also had the label Green Cauliflower on the plastic wrap and is a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower. I partially boiled it then breaded and fried it in olive oil. I added lots of  herbs de provence and then finished it with some grated Parmesan. It makes a wonderful appetizer or a delicious side. You have to try it.

The flavour is bright with the herbs and the crunchy coating is a nice contrast to the creamy soft inside. 

You will need:

• a head of broccoflower or cauliflower
• 1 - 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tbsp dried herbs de Province
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• salt/pepper
• grated Parmesan to finish
• grapeseed oil for frying

Step 1: clean and cut broccoflower into similar sized pieces.

Step 2: boil or steam broccolflower until cooked through. You can slightly under cook it because it will also be fried and you do not want to over cook it so it turns to mush or starts falling apart.
Drain and let cool slightly before breading.

Step 3: in three bowls prepare the breading station:

Flour bowl -with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground pepper

Egg bowl - with a tsp of water or milk

Breadcrumb bowl - with fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, dried herbs de Provence and granulated garlic

Step 4: add each piece to flour and shake off excess before moving into egg mixture and then toss into breadcrumbs. Once all pieces are breaded heat oil in a small pan or pot. I normally fry in a saute pan with enough oil to come up to approximately halfway up the broccoflower so I am pan frying and turning it a few times so all of the broccoflower gets browned.

Once fried to a nice golden remove from oil and place onto paper towel to drain. Immediately grate some Parmesan over the hot broccolflower and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper.

I enjoyed them as an appetizer by serving along with some mayonnaise that I added some hot chili paste to for some added zip.