Beef Ragout with Mashed Cauliflower

We were planning the transition to our first week of following South Beach, and I realized I wasn't going to survive it without some exotic flavors. I turned to our bookshelf and began looking anew at some of my favorites. Here's one I picked up in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble: Oriental Basics by Cornelia Schinharl and Sebastian Dickhaut. There are some nifty ideas in there, and many that are naturally low carb. We decided to adapt their recipe for Beef Ragout, a hearty stew redolent with spices. There was a flat iron steak that had no clear purpose; now it had one. I had only grilled this cut before,  so I wasn't sure how it would turn out in a stew setting, but it was perfect. I browned it in a dutch oven with olive oil and lots of garlic; then in went crushed tomatoes, healthy doses of cinnamon, cumin and paprika, and two tablespoons of homemade harissa, made from dried California chiles, coriander, cumin and olive oil. after forty-five minutes in the oven on 340 degrees, the steak was tender and the sauce thick and delicious. I added sauteed peppers and onions and let it simmer for a short time,

Meanwhile, we decided to compliment it with mashed cauliflower, which we had yet to try, and thought it would be something like potatoes or rice. I first steamed a head of cauliflower, cut into florets, and before they were completely tender, I popped them in the cuisinart with a little water, salt and pepper, and cubes of pecorino romano. It turned out pretty smooth, though not as smooth as I would like. I thought about adding butter or cream as I've seen in some recipes, but I'm eliminating cow's milk from my diet for now to see if I might be lactose intolerant. The texture wasn't bad, actually, something like grits. Next time I might try something like canellini to add to the creaminess. It's good to experiment!