I have never been a super big fan of cauliflower. I was one of those kids who didn't like much under the title Dinner (with the exception of dessert). In my household, dinner was meat with a potato and a canned vegetable. However, my mother liked to bake and her desserts are my fondest and lasting memories of the dinner hour.
One youthful experience with dinner cauliflower was finding it boiled and buttered next to a piece of meat and a scoop of La Sueur canned peas. To be fair though, sometimes it played a role in a fresh green salad, and this scenario provided a glimmer of hope for my future feelings toward the white globe.
You understand the consequences of youthful pronouncements about food items. Sometimes these feelings persist long after childhood passes, and sometimes these feelings grow up to accommodate more matured understandings. The bland look and taste of the cooked cauliflower that I remember as a child has been a roadblock for me as an adult. I purchase it irregularly, mostly use it raw (crudités for a dip or in fresh green salad), and never search for it or express elation when I see it on a restaurant menu.
Until now...
All I needed was a technique to give this vegetable some color and a sweet, nutty flavor. Lean in...it's ROASTING!
This recipe is just fine on its own when you want to go meatless. A couple slices of a chewy baguette and a glass of wine is all you'll need to make this a light and memorable meal. Or add a filet of tilapia or cod on top and you've captured some protein. I imagine slices of baguette toasted and oiled, spread with a dollop of ricotta, and then topped with this savory recipe to be quite yummy!
Notes
1. I adapted the mentor recipe to accommodate the food supplies I had at home. Get creative with what your pantry provides!
2. I did not have pine nuts, parsley, sherry vinegar, or capers. See the ingredient list for my substitutes.
3. I had roasted garlic cloves already on hand. But if you don't, roast a few alongside the cauliflower, making sure they are very well oiled.
3. I made a simple French Vinaigrette, the only salad dressing I use these days. Basically it's the juice from half a lemon, mixed with a glop of dijon mustard, and then mixed again with a slow stream of olive oil to the emulsification I want. Experiment...you cannot fail at this dressing!
Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins, Peppadews, and Walnuts
1 small-ish head cauliflower, greens trimmed, cut into 8 wedges
Spray can of vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to your liking
1/4 cup of golden raisins
scant 1/4 cup of oil-cured olives, cut coarsely
5-6 peppadews, cut coarsely
1/4 cup walnuts
2-3 cloves of roasted garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced into the serving bowl (use more juice if you'd like)
1 good squirt of dijon mustard, more or less
1/4 cup of olive oil, more or less
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper and spray lightly with vegetable oil.
2. Rather than toss the wedges with the olive oil, I drizzled olive oil into spots on the baking sheet. Then I just placed a wedge onto the spot and moved it around to cover that side. Next, I flipped it over so the oiled side was face up. Sprinkle all pieces with salt and pepper.
3. If you need to roast your garlic cloves, make sure they are well-oiled and place them next to a wedge or two. Maybe you will have to remove them before the cauliflower is done.
4. Roast the cauliflower until golden brown and soft, about 40 minutes. I flipped the wedges with a spatula twice during the 40 minutes to evenly roast.
5. While the cauliflower roasts, make the vinaigrette. Add the lemon juice to your serving bowl and add a good dollop of dijon mustard. Whisk these two ingredients to blend.
6. While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the lemon juice/mustard mix. Continue to slowly stream the olive oil until you reach the thickness you want. More oil? Thicker and richer tasting. Less oil? Thinner and more citrus-y tasting. You decide!
7. To the bowl, add the raisins, peppadews, walnuts, olives, and garlic. Stir to cover these ingredients with the vinaigrette. Set aside.
8. When the cauliflower is done, transfer the pieces to the serving bowl and mix gently.
9. Your cauliflower salad is ready to serve.
This recipe is just fine on its own when you want to go meatless. A couple slices of a chewy baguette and a glass of wine is all you'll need to make this a light and memorable meal. Or add a filet of tilapia or cod on top and you've captured some protein. I imagine slices of baguette toasted and oiled, spread with a dollop of ricotta, and then topped with this savory recipe to be quite yummy!
Notes
1. I adapted the mentor recipe to accommodate the food supplies I had at home. Get creative with what your pantry provides!
2. I did not have pine nuts, parsley, sherry vinegar, or capers. See the ingredient list for my substitutes.
3. I had roasted garlic cloves already on hand. But if you don't, roast a few alongside the cauliflower, making sure they are very well oiled.
3. I made a simple French Vinaigrette, the only salad dressing I use these days. Basically it's the juice from half a lemon, mixed with a glop of dijon mustard, and then mixed again with a slow stream of olive oil to the emulsification I want. Experiment...you cannot fail at this dressing!
Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins, Peppadews, and Walnuts
1 small-ish head cauliflower, greens trimmed, cut into 8 wedges
Spray can of vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to your liking
1/4 cup of golden raisins
scant 1/4 cup of oil-cured olives, cut coarsely
5-6 peppadews, cut coarsely
1/4 cup walnuts
2-3 cloves of roasted garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced into the serving bowl (use more juice if you'd like)
1 good squirt of dijon mustard, more or less
1/4 cup of olive oil, more or less
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper and spray lightly with vegetable oil.
2. Rather than toss the wedges with the olive oil, I drizzled olive oil into spots on the baking sheet. Then I just placed a wedge onto the spot and moved it around to cover that side. Next, I flipped it over so the oiled side was face up. Sprinkle all pieces with salt and pepper.
3. If you need to roast your garlic cloves, make sure they are well-oiled and place them next to a wedge or two. Maybe you will have to remove them before the cauliflower is done.
4. Roast the cauliflower until golden brown and soft, about 40 minutes. I flipped the wedges with a spatula twice during the 40 minutes to evenly roast.
5. While the cauliflower roasts, make the vinaigrette. Add the lemon juice to your serving bowl and add a good dollop of dijon mustard. Whisk these two ingredients to blend.
6. While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the lemon juice/mustard mix. Continue to slowly stream the olive oil until you reach the thickness you want. More oil? Thicker and richer tasting. Less oil? Thinner and more citrus-y tasting. You decide!
7. To the bowl, add the raisins, peppadews, walnuts, olives, and garlic. Stir to cover these ingredients with the vinaigrette. Set aside.
8. When the cauliflower is done, transfer the pieces to the serving bowl and mix gently.
9. Your cauliflower salad is ready to serve.
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