ArcaMax

The Goodness of Ghee

My first encounter with ghee happened when I was a little kid. I had no idea it was ghee, but it had a special fascination for me.

On rare occasions, my mom and dad would take us out to dinner on Sunday evening. We usually went to a little bar/supper club call Bleiers. The long bar in front was usually crowded. There were booths along the side but we never sat in the booths. We were taken to a back dining room. That’s where families ate.

The dining room was dim but inviting. To this day, I like to sit in the dimmer part of the dining room rather than a bright spot. When you looked around the room the tables had those classic red, glass candle holders. Sunday evenings those candles were always lit. I find the romance in that.

The place was not fancy but the food was excellent. Every once in a while, one of my parents would order lobster tail. Only the adults were allowed to order lobster but if we were good, “us kids” might get a bite.

Before the lobster arrived at the table, there was a little contraption that arrived courtesy of the waitress. It was a metal stand that also had a little candle underneath it. It was lit and what was above it was a container of bubbling, melted butter. Yummy, bubbling goodness.

I now know that wonderful, warm butter was ghee...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Mashed Cauliflower

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Breakfast Fruit Souffle
Peach Salsa

Servings: 4, depending on how big your cauliflower is.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower
5 Tbl of ghee
½ tsp of nutmeg
Grated sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Put on a pot of water to boil that you can steam over.

Remove the stem and the green leaves from your cauliflower. Cut the rest into chunks. You don’t need to worry about whether the florets stay intact. It won’t matter because you are steaming them and then mashing. Make sure most of the chunks are about the same size. One to 1.5 inches will be best. That way they all cook at the same rate.

When the water is boiling, put the cauliflower chunks in the steamer. Cook over steam for about eight minutes or until they are tender.

Take out your food processor or masher and then add the ghee and the nutmeg. Whiz or mash until fairly smooth. A few small chunks add a nice texture. Then add sea salt and pepper. Stir and taste in case you want to adjust seasonings.

(At this time the cauliflower mash can be set aside or refrigerated (covered) and then reheated in the oven later. Just cover the dish with aluminum foil so it doesn’t dry out. Remove from oven and stir before serving. This is convenient for parties because you can make this ahead).

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola