Surówka z kalafiora – Polish Cauliflower Salad

Last Friday was a fun day because I rode a bike for the first time in fifteen years and learned how to make a delicious Polish Cauliflower Salad, it crunchy spin-off on this Polish classic a vegetable salad. My friend, Elżbieta, invited me to spend the day with her in Swarzędz, a suburb of Poznań.  After cold, blustery weather earlier in the week, we were blessed with warm sunshine which we enjoyed in her garden before and after our bike ride.

Thermomix

Now that I think about it, I learned more than a new recipe.   Elżbieta used her  Thermomix, which she loves and uses daily, to prepare our salad.  First, the machine diced all of the veg and fruit for our dish, and then it stirred in the dressing – combining it all nicely without liquefying it as a blender or food processor would.  Thermomix also cooks food.  I was surprised that I, as someone who knows what a sous vide machine is, had never heard of Thermomix.  My reputation is safe; apparently, they’re not sold in the US, hence my ignorance.  In other parts of the world, where they are available, representatives sell the machines at home parties, similar to Tupperware or Avon.

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Trust me, it’s delicious!

I loved this salad and wanted to make it again before I forgot any of the ingredients.  It’s cool and crisp, similar to coleslaw, only better.  It’s the perfect side dish for a warm day.  As with any salad, use this as a guide and adjust according to your taste and what’s available.  Elżbieta tells me that celery root can be diced with the other vegetables and added to the mix.

Updated to add that when invited to demonstrate recipes from my website on a Phoenix morning TV show, this is one of the recipes that I made. The host did tease me about the smell when I brought in a container of chopped cauliflower, but it’s amazing what happens when you mix it all together. The cruciferous-ness is tamed by the other ingredients. The flavors meld beautifully to give you a light, tasty, crunchy salad.

It’s an unlikely combination for Americans, but it’s something run of the mill in Poland. I hope you’ll try it.

Smacznego!

Lois

Surówka z kalafiora – Polish Cauliflower Salad

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: polishhousewife
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Polish

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Description

A refreshing, crunching salad – a nice alternative to green salads

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 Cauliflower, medium head
• 2 small dill pickles (or brine cured if you have them)
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and seeds removed
• 4 basil leaves
• 1 can corn, drained
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Finely dice the cauliflower, about 1/4 – 1/3 inch cubes. It’s important that the dice is fine and consistent. Shred the pickles and apple (coarse side of box grater), and chop the basil.
2. Combine the above with the corn, yogurt, mayo, and salt.
3. Chill until ready to serve.

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Notes

The key is to make sure everything is diced very small (about 1/4 inch) and uniformly. I’ve tried using a food processor, but I haven’t had luck in getting everything chopped without it becoming too fine, essentially cauliflower rice.

Keywords: cauliflower salad

Note: 1 cup, which is a very generous serving, of this salad is 160 calories.  You can also modify the recipe by replacing the mayo with more plain yogurt bringing the total down to 96 per cup. 

Our al fresco lunch in Elżbieta’s garden consisted of scrambled eggs with chive and fresh mix salad.

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.