I wasn’t sure how my leg would handle the 10K; my calf seemed healed,but my hamstring was very tight since my 1 mile test run on Thursday.  And, it was going to be a trail run with real hills, some steep.  So,my goal was to make it through, and I was going to apply the 4-5 minute run 30 second-1 minute walk pattern to keep myself from pushing too hard for too long.

The course was basically 2 miles of downhill, 2 miles flat along the creek, then 2 miles uphill.  The downhill aggravated my hamstring and I was in pain after 3 miles. But the flats helped.  Then came the uphills…ugh!…expletives!…but then, as I approached the finish, my daughter showed up to run the last bit with me (she had finished a good bit earlier)…and this is what I saw:

So, I made it. Slowly, 1:06:15, but I made it!

Now for food!

We love cauliflower and I am always happy to make another cauliflower dish.  Look at this cauliflower, isn’t it pretty?

My cauliflower plants are still babies, with the cool spring, I am hopeful that they will produce for me.  But for now, I have to buy my cauliflower from someone else.

It does seem like Persian stews are the main times we eat beef in our family.  The stews are mainly vegetables, with just a touch of meat, so even when we eat it beef, there is not much of it.  For this recipe, I only used 1/2 pound of stew beef and it was plenty for 4 large servings.

If you notice the pickles, it is because some Persian dishes go best with little pickled vegetables (or torshi). All we had in the house tonight was dill pickles, so that is what we used and they were a fine condiment.

Khorest Gol Kalam (Cauliflower Stew)

4 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 lb stew beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Kosher salt, divided

1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets

1 lime

1/8 tsp ground red chili pepper

1/2 tsp Advieh (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 tsp cumin)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Boiling Water, about 4 – 5 cups

Directions

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a small pot. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until translucent.

Add the beef and brown on all sides.  Add turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt, cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in enough boiling water to cover the beef by about 2 inches.  Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot fry the cauliflower in the remaining 2 Tbsp oil for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the juice of the lime (about 2 Tbsp), ground chili pepper, advieh, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the tomato paste, mix well.  While the beef continues to cook, remove the cauliflower mixture from heat and cover.  The cauliflower will continue to cook, but not overcook.

Add the beef mixture to the cauliflower, add additional boiling water to cover, and cook over low heat for another 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and pickled vegetables. Enjoy!

Makes 4 large servings.