Roasted Cauliflower with Tomato and Green Olives
Cauliflower is a vegetable which, if not carefully prepared, will taste very bland and boring. What a shame, as it has such nice subtle flavors for the creative cook to work with. The recipe below, from Union Square Café, is an example. Roasted, browned cauliflower is paired up with two ingredients symbolic of the sunny Mediterranean: tomatoes and green olives. Sauteed onions, garlic, and a pinch of oregano provide the background flavors, while a lovely little touch of heat is added by a bit of Aleppo pepper, a pepper from Syria popular with a lot of New York chefs for its warm, earthy flavor.
It’s a delicious, versatile side dish that tastes great either hot or at room temperature. It could be served either as a garnish for an entrée, or as an antipasto.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe
1 head cauliflower, stem trimmed, cut into 2-inch florets
¼ cup olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups quartered and thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano
½ cup pitted and sliced green olives
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 450 F
Toss the cauliflower in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Spread out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast until the cauliflower is just tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is lightly browned but still has crunch, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, olives, ¾ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the Aleppo pepper; cook a few seconds until the garlic is fragrant but not brown. Stir in the tomato and parsley, cook for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat.
When the cauliflower has finished roasting, return the tomato-onion mixture to high heat, toss in the cauliflower, and saute quickly to combine and heat through. Serve hot or at room temperature.
