roasted cauliflower with kalamata vinaigrette

roasting vegetables is never a bad idea and the latest victim to reach our oven was cauliflower. i saw this recipe and, despite the simpleness of the whole thing, was really excited to make it. it's barely more than roasted cauliflower topped with chopped up kalamata olives but it really doesn't need much more than that. roasting gives the slabs of cauliflower a hint of sweetness and nuttiness, which is nicely paired with the salty, brininess of the olives.

roasted cauliflower with kalamata vinaigrette
(from gourmet, september 2009)
ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 small clove garlic
1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
salt and pepper

preheat oven to 450 with rack in lower third.

cut cauliflower lengthwise into 3/4 inch thick slices. put in a large baking pan and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. roast, turning once or twice, until golden and just tender, about 20-25 minutes.

while cauliflower roasts, mince and mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, olives, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

drizzle cauliflower with vinaigrette and serve!

-d

cauliflower patties

kris's mom and brother visited us last weekend and, as usual when we have guests, it was a delicious few days. we took them to firefly where one of the highlights was a cauliflower appetizer that i ordered. it was browned and involved fennel and orange zest and almonds. when it came time to plan a fun menu to cook on sunday we still had cauliflower on the brain. this recipe comes from olive trees and honey. these were tasty but the recipe doesn't give them a ton of flavor. i would definitely make them again but i think next time i will play around with different spices to give them a little more oomph. it's a great base recipe though cause you can really take it in any direction. the original called for eggs but i did away with those and added some tahini to hold it all together.

sephardic cauliflower patties
(from olive trees and honey)
ingredients:
1 medium-large head cauliflower (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into florets
1 onion minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup (about) bread crumbs (we used panko) or matza meal
tahini (about 1 tablespoon)
soymilk (maybe half a tablespoon)

coating (optional):
soy milk, for dipping
vegan mayo*
flour, for dredging

in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the cauliflower, uncovered, until tender but not mushy, about 12 minutes. do not overcook. drain. finely chop or mash with a fork.

in a medium bowl combine the cauliflower, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. add the soymilk and tahini a little at a time and mix to combine (i used my hands to really get it mixed in, plus then you can kind of tell if you're going to need to add more). add bread crumbs gradually until the mixture is thick enough to mold.

shape the cauliflower into patties and dip into the soymilk mixture then dredge in the flour.

in a heavy skillet over medium heat, heat a thin layer of oil. in batches, add the patties and fry, turning, until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side). keep warm in a low oven while preparing the remainder. serve warm or reheat is a 250 oven for about 20 minutes.

we enjoyed these with some roasted fennel and leeks and the bbq black eyed pea collard rolls from veganomicon.

*we had some leftover vegan mayo that we made for something else. we used it as a thickener and to make the coating stick a little better, but you could certainly add another thickener of your choice (more tahini? cornstarch?).

-d