Drop by Belguardo on the ground floor of Siam Paragon and you'll find award-winning chef Marco Cammarata creating his wonderful Italian dishes. Today, just for you, he reveals his secret for making a dish of shrimp and cauliflower that's light and tasty, perfect during the hot season.

Even if you don't like cauliflower, you're going to love Cammarata's cauliflower mash. The name isn't very elegant, but the mash is.

The secret, he says, is to add milk when you boil the cauliflower, cook it until it's al dente - not too soft - and then chill it immediately with ice.

The milk reduces the strong taste and smell, and the cooling helps the cauliflower maintain a pure, white colour.

For the shrimp, the secret is to be quick. Don't let the coating stand too long before you use it. Coat the shrimp quickly - and don't overcook them.

This dish requires no expensive olive oil. Use the "ordinary" kind and save the more expensive virgin olive oil for salads.

By Laurie Rosenthal

Sunday Xpress