Roasted cauliflower with garam masala and nine other cauliflower recipes
January 7th, 2009 by Brian Ries in Food and Drink
At the Downtown farmers’ market this week I found huge heads of an odd cauliflower cultivar at the Worden Farm booth, the underside tinged purple and the florets tiered instead of a smooth dome. It was gorgeous, fresh from the Punta Gorda soil and carried tasted of that mild, vegetal spice that make this veggie one of my favorites. I bought way, way too much of it.
People are often afraid of cauliflower, based on the crappy boil-in-bag versions of our youth. Don’t be.
I almost always follow a simple roasting recipe (below) that’s easy, quick and makes the most out of this great veggie. But in order to eke a little variety out of my massive haul, I tracked down 9 other recipes that cover the cauliflower bases.
Recipes after the jump:
Roasted Cauliflower with Garam Masala
Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that combines cardamom, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg.
1 head cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garam masala (available in an supermarket spice aisle)
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Chop cauliflower into large bite-sized chunks.
2. Drizzle cauliflower with olive oil and toss until chunks are thinly coated. Salt generously, tossing to distribute. Sprinkle with approx. 1 tbs of garam masala (depending on the amount of cauliflower) and toss to distribute.
3. Place cauliflower on sheet pan and roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing to flip pieces about halfway through. The cauliflower should be browned and tender, but still crisp.
Variations: Instead of garam masala, use any interesting spice blend from blackening seasoning to barbecue dry rub. Instead of that, roast with no spice blend and toss with freshly grated parmesan just before you take it out of the oven.
Here are nine more recipes:
Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin (Bobby Flay)
Cauliflower Potato Mash (Good Housekeeping)
Skillet Cauliflower and Ham (About)
Lentils and Brown Butter Cauliflower (Bon Appetit)
Cauliflower Soup w/ Crisp Pancetta (Boston Globe)
Pasta w/ Cauliflower (Mario Batali)
Aloo Gobi (IndianFoodForever)
Mac-n-Smoked Gouda and Cauliflower (Rachael Ray)
Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad (Giada)
(Photo courtesy Pilgrim Steven/flickr.)
January 7th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I love me some cauliflower! This is my favorite recipe for it.