OCTOBER 1, 2019
Hi everybody!
Welcome to Fall, although you wouldn’t know it by the weather, which is about to heat up again. Still, those wonderful cool weather vegetables are arriving, and they are both versatile and delicious.
Today’s recipe is a yummy cauliflower dish, featuring parmesan cheese and capers, those delicious tiny pickled peppers.
CAULIFLOWER WITH CAPERS AND PARMESAN
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5 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
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2 TBS capers, drained and divided
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1 lemon
DIRECTIONS
1. Set a rack in the lowest position of your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the cauliflower on a cutting board and snap off the green outer leaves. Use a knife to shave off the end of the stem, which will give you a flat surface for the cauliflower to stand up.
2. Starting from one end, cut the entire head of cauliflower into half-inch slices, letting the pieces fall off. The pieces connected to the root will remain in slabs.
3. Transfer the cauliflower to a sheet pan and drizzle with it with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then toss with your hands to make sure all the pieces are evenly coated, and then arrange them so their flat surfaces are on the pan.
4. Roast the cauliflower on the bottom rack until the pieces are brown around the edges with deeply browned undersides, approximately 25–30 minutes.
5. While the cauliflower is roasting, that’s the time to grate the parmesan cheese on the largest side of a box grater. Reserve about half the grated cheese for garnishing.
6. Coarsely chop 1 TBS of capers, then toss all of the capers in a small bowl with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the capers.
7. When the cauliflower is browned on the first side, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a work surface. Using a spatula, turn the pieces over. Sprinkle the grated parmean that has not been set aside for garnish over the cauliflower.
8. Return the cauliflower to the oven and continue to roast it until the other side is browned and the parmesan is fragrant and browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.
9. Let it cool a few minutes, then transfer the cauliflower to a plate and drizzle lemon-caper dressing over it. Season it with a bit more salt and pepper, then top with the reserved parmesan.
NOTE: This dish, like all roasted vegetable dishes, is good hot or cold.
Enjoy.
And have a delicious week!
Best, Judi