Roasted Cauliflower
Vegetarian food porn!
I did it. I finally turned my oven back on. Baby steps. I had the best intentions to go on a big grocery shopping mission on Saturday, but by 9pm I just decided to go around the corner to my local grocery store and see what I could find to tide me over.
Yes, I went shopping hungry so I found myself adding my favorite peanut butter (with flax seeds and cane crystals) before I stopped myself and thought basic – rotisserie chicken, humus and Stacy’s NEW Vegetable Medley pita chip (because they didn’t have the multigrain). And because the store always has specials on vegetables I rolled by to see what they were. Found string beans for $.99 a pound and cauliflower for $.99 a head…A HEAD!!! I got two.
So tonight I preheated my oven to 400 degrees and prepped my cauliflower by removing all the leafs and cutting out the woody part of the stalk, but still keeping the head together. Then as if cutting cross sections I sliced the head in quarter to half inch slices. It naturally gives you large, medium and small pieces.
I spread the white vegetable across a sheet pan and dressed it with good olive oil, crushed red pepper, kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic. Insert into oven and let go until you can smell it, maybe 10-15 minutes. Remove and stir/flip/mix and reinsert for another 20 minutes and repeat.
It shrinks considerably but the caramelization on the vegetable is divine and if you don’t eat the whole head in one sitting (like me) then use it to fill out a mac and cheese or as a quick meal over pasta with breadcrumbs and parmesan is so satisfying.
Love those brown bits!
Oh this reminds me about the cauliflower cous cous a chef I used to work with makes. He pulses raw cauliflower in the food processor until a cous cous texture is reached. He quickly blanches it in seasoned water and sautés it in butter and finishes it with cut chives. Great side dish for fish. Gives the illusion it’s a carb for those that are carb obsessed.
Well, my roasted cauliflower is done. Last piece of my roasted chicken here I come!