Coliflor ofegada – ‘drowned’ cauliflower

My friend Sally Mitchell, who lives in Mallorca, first showed me how to make coliflor ofegada. She and her husband Juan Caimari ran a tapas bar in Palma for many years and she was an invaluable resource when I was researching ‘The Taste of a Place Mallorca’. I think this recipe is a good example of Mallorquin cookery: full of flavour, rustic, and pretty difficult to replicate anywhere other than Mallorca or Catalonia, relying as it does on ingredients particular to the region.

For 4 people

1 large cauliflower, broken into golf ball florets

150g cooking chorizo, diced

3 thick slices pork belly, each slice quartered

25g raisons or sultanas

10g pine nuts

8 spring onions, sliced, including green stalks

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 ramellet tomatoes or 1 large ordinary tomato, grated

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

50ml olive oil

50ml water

½ teaspoon salt

Put everything into a tall, lidded saucepan and leave it to simmer, lid firmly on, over a low heat for 15 minutes before checking the cauliflower for doneness. Hold the lid and pan firmly together and give the contents a good shake twice during the cooking time.

Variations: carrots, pumpkin and broccoli can all be cooked in this way.

Over the years I’ve adapted this recipe to suit locally available ingredients and it’s a very popular supper dish in my household.