Zesty Roasted Cauliflower

Some people may think that the only way to serve cauliflower is to smother it in a white sauce and mask all it’s flavor with lots of cheese. Roasting cauliflower brings out so much flavor, making the crunchy, golden florets tender but still a bit crisp. I saw this recipe in one of my library finds, Ina Garten’s recipe in her book  How Easy Is That? I will definitely be making this recipe A LOT.

Roasting the cauliflower caramelizes it, and gives it that awesome roasted flavor. With galric, lemon juice, toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley, every bite is a burst of flavors and crunch. No harm in sprinkling in a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese to add even more nutty, rich flavor. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place it into the oven to heat up.

Cut the cauliflower into florets. Break apart one small head of garlic into cloves and place it into a small saucepan filled with water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the garlic has softened. Peel the garlic cloves and slice the larger cloves in half.

Partially pre-cooking the garlic will take away it’s strong bite and make it much more mild.

Toss the cauliflower florets, garlic and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. When the oven is preheated and the baking sheet is hot, place the seasoned cauliflower onto the hot baking sheet. You should hear it sizzle as it hits the sheet.

Isn’t this an awesome technique? It’s just like preheating a skillet before adding the food to be cooked. As the food hits the pan, it starts to brown right away. I like using this technique when I make Rustic Herb Potatoes. Crisp, golden and roasted to perfection.

Spread into a single layer. My cauliflower was on the small side (since there’s only 2 of us, I chose the smallest of the bunch). You may have a lot more florets than I do in this picture.

Roast, stirring halfway through, for 20-30 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cauliflower has softened.

Meanwhile, in a small, dry skillet, toast the pine nuts on medium heat for a few minutes, until they are toasted. Don’t try to cheat and skip toasting the nuts. The flavor of toasted nuts is AMAZING!

Toss the roasted cauliflower with the toasted pine nuts,  lemon juice and parsley. 

For extra scrumptiosness, add some Parmesan cheese, and return to the oven and broil for another 3-5 minutes. Delicious!

Roasted Cauliflower

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Olga from Olga’s Flavor Factory adapted from Ina Garten

Recipe type: Sides

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 head garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
• 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• salt, pepper (to taste)
• 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place it into the oven to heat up.
3. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
4. Break apart one small head of garlic into cloves and place it into a small saucepan filled with water. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the garlic has softened.
5. Peel the garlic cloves and slice the larger cloves in half.
6. Toss the cauliflower florets, garlic and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
7. When the oven is preheated and the baking sheet is hot, place the seasoned cauliflower onto the hot baking sheet. You should hear it sizzle as it hits the sheet. Spread into a single layer and roast, stirring halfway through, for 20-30 minutes, until the edges are golden and the cauliflower has softened.
8. Meanwhile, in a small, dry skillet, toast the pine nuts on medium heat for a few minutes, until they are toasted.
9. Toss the roasted cauliflower with the toasted pine nuts, lemon juice and parsley.

3.1.09

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