Stalk and stem – Leaf to root

Cauliflower stalks are generally delicious. In the Time Life book "Vegetables" from the 1970s, it explicitly states that, "The stalk is a delicacy and can be eaten raw." When I was in China recently, I also had cauliflower stalks. And Xu Long, who cooks for important state guests in the "Great Hall of the People" in Beijing, also prepared them for Angela Merkel two days after my visit. For my "Leaf to Root" project, Xu Long showed me how special vegetable parts are traditionally prepared in China. He cut the cauliflower stalks, including the leaves, into slices, blanched them, then fried them with shiitake mushrooms.

Our cauliflower plants are a godsend for me and "Leaf to Root" because they are entirely edible – from the leaf to the root, from the blossoms to the seeds. In other words, you never have to worry about whether a particular part of broccoli or cauliflower is edible. The leaves of broccoli and cauliflower, for example, which are also usually still attached when purchased in the supermarket, are very easy to prepare. Simply slice them finely and add them to a curry.

If you have a garden, you can also use the entire leaves of your broccoli and cauliflower plants – they're great for making crisps. And dear gardeners, please do not worry if your broccoli is almost blooming. Andreas Caminada told me that he serves flowering broccoli raw, seasoned with balsamic.

Of course, the great Marcella Hazan certainly didn't throw away the broccoli florets, but boiled them into soup, as she writes in her book. It seems that her husband was able to eat them in this form.