The stuff left behind: cauliflower stem salad

I hope the title got your interest. This is a dish which was inspired by a similar one which the Guyman and Annalena ate at Barbuto.
Years ago, at a sermon, Annalena heard a preacher say something which has stayed with her for well over 20 years "relationships are a lot like cooking vegetables. You work, and work, and at the end there's SO much you just have to throw away, and then, you have to hope what's left is good. And we all still eat our vegetables so there's something good there."
Indeed. Not to be glib, but relationships as an artichoke. It is NOT after all a bad image.

And those of us who cook vegetables do have to concede that, when all is said and done, there is much waste. We wish there were something we could do with that "compost,"and sometimes there is. But it is more work. For example, Annalena uses the pods of green peas to make broth. So, too, with corn cobs. But try as she may, Annalena has not found a use for fava bean pods. Or eggplant skin (which, she knows is edible, but...). And so on and so forth.

Now, for many of us, the vegetables aforementioned are not part or our regular repertoire. It is too easy to purchase preprepared artichokes, for example, or frozen peas, kernel corn, and so forth. But then there are others, like broccoli and cauliflower where, while one CAN buy a bag of preprepared, raw florets, we wonder: (or at least we should): how old are they? And of course, when one compares the price of the florets to the whole vegetable, one may pause and reconsider (recently, Annalena saw broccoli florets at 3.99 for a 12 ounce package. Broccoli was on sale at 2 bunches for 5.00. So, too, with cauliflower).

What does one do with those stems from these cruciferous vegetables? Soup comes to mind, but let us be honest: how many of us are going to stash away the stems of the vegetables until we get around to making soup, and who among us stands in the kitchen, trying desperately to make dinner and get it on the table and says "Hmmm. Broccoli stems. I KNOW. I'll make soup."

Any of you who put up a hand, is lying. Annalena knows.

So, when Barbuto served Annalena a "crudo" of cauliflower, she was intrigued. See, when the plate came to the table, it was not florets. It was very thinly sliced... stems. Other ingredients were in it, as we shall discuss below, but Annalena was struck by the practical brilliance of using those stems to make something that was delicious. She had cauliflower in her refrigerator, and as soon as possible, got to work re-creating the dish. And here is her version.

You need a piece of kitchen equipment which Annalena urges you to buy and to BE CAREFUL with. This is a "benriner." A benriner, for lack of a better description, is a mandoline for beginners. Mandolines, if you see them in serious gourmet kitchens or in restaurants, are very large, heavy, machines which are designed to allow you to slice things very thinly. They cost upwards of 200.00, come with instructions that are written in French or in laughable translations, and rust if you let them get wet.

Enter the benriner, which is plastic, does not do ALL the mandoline does, but does the trick of thin slicing. It comes with a hand guard. PLEASE USE IT until you get the hang of it, and follow the "Zen of kitchen" approach when making this. For those unfamiliar with this, the Zen of Kitchen states, simply "when you cook the rice, cook the rice."

Wakarimasu ka? Understand? PAY ATTENTION WHEN YOU USE THESE. Annalena has a lovely friend who lost part of her thumb by not. But Annalena uses the device every week, and has not injured herself. And they cost no more than about 40.00.

Get out your new toy, and the stems of a large bunch of cauliflower. Cut away the florets and use them for something else (you know what to do with them). Run the stems over the slicing blade of the benriner, and you will come away with very small, thin, white slices of cauliflower. Proceed slowly at first, but as you get the hang of it (it is easy), you can move faster, and will probably mow through that bunch of cauliflower in all of about five or ten minutes.

While you are slicing away, put a cup of walnuts into the oven, at 350, and toast them. For walnuts, they are ready when you smell the toasty nuttiness. Protect your hand, take them out, and pour them into a bowl (do not let them stay on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook, and may burn).

Now, get some cheese: Annalena prefers pecorino romano, because cauliflower is a vegetable she associates with southern Italy, and this is a Southern cheese. If you prefer parmigiano, or something else, please feel free. You will want half to 3/4 cup of this.

Finally, make a STRONG acid dressing. What does this mean? Well,most of the salad dressings you will encounter in restaurants, or make, will use the classic recipe of 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc), to three parts oil. It will also use half a teaspoon of salt for every half cup of dressing you are making. In a dressing for this salad, increase the amount of acid. Perhaps not to 1:2, but somewhere in between 1/3 and 1/2, and up the salt. Taste the dressing as you're going along, keeping in mind that there are some very bland flavors here, and a large volume.

When you are ready, put the cauliflower into a bowl, and pour the dressing over it. Toss it, and then add the walnuts, and toss them. Finally, sprinkle the cheese over everything. No tossing now.

And you're done. If you happen to have some croutons, but of course. Or, if there's a fennel bulb in your fridge begging to be used, gratify it and stir it in, after you prep it the same way you did the cauliflower.

You may very well find yourself asking "what am I to do with the florets?" Indeed, Annalena found herself vexed by this very question. Reader, I pickled them