Pickled Cauliflower

I had a large head of cauliflower and wanted to make another cauliflower mash but we’d had that recently.  I might be obsessed with that dish but my P.S. is not.  In the back of my mind I remembered the pickled beets I’d made with a quick pickle recipe last summer and wondered if I could pickle cauliflower as well.  Just a quick pickling, overnight, should work for cauliflower too.  They would be a nice, chilled side dish!

I searched my blog for the recipe for pickled beets.  It was a very simple recipe and I only slightly modified it to accommodate a different vegetable.  I wanted just a touch of heat, so I added cayenne to the ingredients.

Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

I cut the cauliflower up into edible-sized pieces.  I tried to keep them mostly in little “tree” shapes, for cuteness.  I put on a pot of water, added about a teaspoon of salt and brought it to a boil, before adding the cauliflower.

Boil in salted water for 4-5 minutes, until fork tender.

I let the cauliflower florets bubble away for about 5 minutes, when they were beginning to turn fork tender.  I drained the pot of cauliflower and left the florets in the pot.

Whisk together rest of ingredients.

In a bowl I measured the vinegar, water, honey, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. I whisked until the mixture was smooth then poured it into the pot.

Drain cauliflower and add vinegar liquid. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Let sit until room temp. Pour into a container and store overnight in fridge.

I let the pot come to a boil again then turned the heat off and let the cauliflower sit until it was room temperature. I poured the contents of the pot into a container, covered with a lid and put it in the refrigerator.

Pickled Cauliflower

The next day I tasted a floret and it was amazing! Already nicely pickled, I loved the flavors! I deemed the cauliflower florets were spiced enough so I drained off the liquid and put them into a smaller container.

Pickled Cauliflower

When we had dinner that evening the cauliflower pickles were a nice addition to our grilled steak and potato salad meal.  We loved them!  My P.S. said a hint of turmeric next time would be nice, and the color of the florets would be more interesting. I might try that, will update you if I do!

Pickled Cauliflower

• Servings: about a pint
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Quick pickled cauliflower with a hint of heat.

• 1 large head cauliflower; cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more if you like heat)

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the florets. Boil on medium high for 4-5 minutes, until just fork tender. Do not over cook.

Drain pot and leave cauliflower in the pot.

In a bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pour into pot and bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat and set the pot on a rack or back burner until the cauliflower is room temperature. Pour into a container and cover. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day drain the cauliflower and place in smaller container. Eat within 6-7 days.