Cauliflower and Banana Peel Curry

Happy Vegan Vednesday! This is the day of the week we swallow our love for meat and dairy, rather than swallowing meat and dairy, because we have the power to fight global warming with our food choices. Earth will get hotter, and we will all increasingly suffer, if we don't care enough to use that power.

In one of my favorite movies, "Four Weddings and a Funeral", Matthew says the following of Gareth at his funeral: "You remember his fabulous hospitality...his strange experimental cooking. The recipe for 'Duck a la Banana' fortunately goes with him to his grave."

I recalled that scene when I came across a vegan recipe for "Cauliflower and Banana Peel Curry" (NYT Cooking; subscription required), and thus there was no question that I must make it, however awful it might be.

I soaked the banana peels for over an hour, only because I covered them with boiling water and wandered off to do other things. But the long soak time was beneficial, I think. 

Sad-looking soaked banana peels

Hewing closely to the recipe, I used my immersion blender to attack the curry paste, all the while wondering why my mini food processor would not be a better tool for the job. My conclusion: my mini food processor would indeed have been a better tool for the job, but whatever.

So we're doing this, are we?

The final result was, surprisingly, not awful. 

I served the curry with rice. The flavors were interesting and good. 

One of my backup dancers found the banana peels stringy, but I thought they provided a welcome chewiness. Still, it was a lot of work, so I will probably go eventually to my grave without making it again.