I was never a huge fan of cauliflower. To me it was very bland, and it smelled when it was cooked, and the only way it tasted any good was when it was covered in mounds of cheese. That was, until I tried roasting it. Roasting it brings out the natural sweetness in the cauliflower. It takes on a different flavor that boiling it or steaming it can't do. And the great thing is that you can season it so many different ways. I have posted a few different options at the end of this recipe.
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
-Remove the core of the cauliflower and slice into uniform pieces or divide into small florets. (I like to try and slice it because it provides more surface area for the cauliflower to brown and get crispy.)
-Spread the cauliflower out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower to distribute the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-Roast until the cauliflower is golden brown, crispy on the outside, and soft in the middle, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.
Options:
-Season with cumin, ground coriander, and smoked sweet or hot paprika for smoky Spanish flavored cauliflower.
-Season with curry powder and garam masala for Indian spiced cauliflower
-Add some garlic and crushed red pepper to the cauliflower before cooking for a spicy version of roasted cauliflower
-After roasting, add some grated parmesan cheese to the cauliflower
2 comments:
I roasted cauliflower for the first time yesterday using the simple olive oil/salt & pepper version, tossed with parmesan cheese. It was fabulous! So much so, I ate almost the entire bowl! Not much of a cauliflower eater until now. Looking forward to trying these other options.
You are right that the cauliflower tastes sweeter this way. I think I sliced it a little too thin since I ended with a cauliflower crumble of sorts, but still tasty.
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