“I’m a chef and I need to cook—how many more falafel specials can I do?,” asks Einat Admony, chef/owner of Balaboosta in New York City’s NoLita neighborhood.
She opened the restaurant in year 2010; the menu largely draws inspiration from her Israeli roots. Current dishes include shrimp kataif with green tobiko and cucumber salad; grilled whole branzino with roasted root vegetables, charred scallions and dill sauce; and the “Israeli street fair,” comprised of chicken and merguez in a pita drizzled with amba yogurt served with pickles and sweet potato fries.
Now is the time to head to the gem on Mulberry Street, as Balaboosta will unfortunately close its doors at the end of May due to an increase in operational costs. Admony insists they will reopen in another location.
To celebrate Balaboosta’s footprint on the Manhattan dining scene, we’re whipping up one of Admony’s personal favorites on the menu: the fried cauliflower.
Cauliflower Everyone Loves
Excerpted from Balaboosta by Einat Admony (Artisan Books) Copyright © 2013Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
For the White Wine Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For the Crispy Cauliflower:
5 cups canola oil
1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground pink pepper
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Dried currants (optional)
Toasted pine nuts (optional)
Method
Make the White Wine Vinaigrette:
Whisk together the vinegar, honey and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to create an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
Make the Crispy Cauliflower:
1. In a large, heavy pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until temperature reaches 350°F.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. To blanch the cauliflower, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and keep it next to the stove. Working in small batches, plunge the cauliflower florets into the boiling water for 2 minutes and drop them into the ice bath. Repeat until all the florets are blanched.
3. Combine the flour, salt and white and pink pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Throw in the florets, seal the bag, and shake, shake, shake until thoroughly coated.
4. Working in small batches again, carefully drop the florets into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the florets to paper towels to drain.
5. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle the vinaigrette over the crispy cauliflower.
6. Toss together the cauliflower, vinaigrette and a tiny handful of currants, pine nuts, and parsley right before serving.
