What, you thought there could be no great Thanksgiving vegetables left? Never fear, the quest continues! From now until Thanksgiving, I'm collecting vegetable recipes perfect for Thanksgiving tables. See the entire collection. More to come, all week!

Oh. My. Goodness. What a little cream and cheese won't do for vegetables. I've raved over cauliflower before, it's a favorite low-carb, low-calorie vegetable. But add some carbs and calories ... oh.my.gracious. Did I say that this is really really good? It is.

But the real trick with this cauliflower is the anchovies, which generate a remarkable sweetness, a memorable depth ... and not one bit of fishiness. I'm willing to bet: you won't 'taste' anchovy, you'll just think, Wow, this cauliflower is wonderful.

TO PREP AHEAD

• DAY BEFORE Make and assemble the dish, except the topping, cover and refrigerate
  
• MORNING OF Make the topping and set aside
  
• BEFORE DINNER Return the dish to room temperature, add topping just before going into oven
  

KITCHEN NOTES

• If you use a rasp-like microplane to grate Parmesan, you just might need two, a ribbon microplane as well a fine microplane
  
• And if you're following a recipe exactly, you'll want to measure by weight, because the volume differences are enormous, just look at these two piles of Parmesan, grated from two chunks of the same weight
  

OTHER CAULIFLOWER IDEAS for THANKSGIVING

• Cauliflower blue cheese gratin
  
• Cauliflower tomato medley
• Cauliflower pancetta, capers and Parmesan
  

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER GRATIN
Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 10 (smaller big-meal servings, 5 standard meal servings)

1 large cauliflower head (mine weighed in at 2 1/2 pounds after the leaves were removed, much of the core Vd out)

SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
2 anchovy fillets
3 green onions, white and green parts (these add color but could also use chopped leek or shallot)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream

TOPPING
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup with a Microplane ribbon grater)
Salt & pepper to taste

STEAM CAULIFLOWER: Put steamer onto boil. Trim cauliflower (remove the leaves, cut a deep V into the core and remove it) and cut into small florets (bite-size is good). Add to steamer and cover, cook about 7 minutes or until a knife inserted into a thick stem releases easily. (The cauliflower won't really 'cook' any more, just reheat, so make sure it's the texture you like.) Remove from heat and uncover to cool a bit. Transfer to a baking dish.

SAUCE: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmery on MEDIUM. Add garlic and anchovy, use a spatula to mash the anchovy into small bits, then let cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the green onion, stir well to coat with fat, cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, adjust heat to create a fast simmer and cook down a bit. Add the cream and cook down a bit, watching temperature carefully to avoid scorching. Pour hot sauce over cauliflower. (Or ... combine the cauliflower and sauce in a separate large bowl before transferring to the baking dish, it might help coat the florets with sauce.)

TOPPING: Mix the topping ingredients, spread evenly over cauliflower just before serving.

BAKE: Bake at 400F for 20 - 25 minutes if done right away, while cauliflower is still hot. If baking from room temperature, I'd allow 30 - 40 minutes.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Serving 10, Per Serving: 140 Cal (51% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 7 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 11 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 7; 108 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 358 mg Sodium; 22 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

Serving 5, Per Serving: 280 Cal (51% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 14 g Protein; 17 g Tot Fat; 8 g Sat Fat; 23 g Carb; 7 g Fiber; NetCarb16; 215 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 715 mg Sodium; 45 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 6 points (yes, six)

SHORTHAND RECIPE ...
CREAMY CAULIFLOWER GRATIN Steam lg cauliflower, in florets. Sauce, 1T olive oil, 1T garlic, 2 anchovies, 3 green onions; add 1c broth, cook down, 1c cream, cook down, pour over cauliflower. Top w ¾ c whole wheat crumbs, 2oz Parmesan, 1T butter, S&P. WW10=2 VV06

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Food & Wine, November 2001