Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Roasted Spicy Cauliflower

I'm revisiting an old favorite recipe today, originally posted here by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen fame (and I do mean fame, that woman's a one-person industry!) I recently found some gorgeous heads of cauliflower at our local produce market. We're so lucky to have a market specializing in produce, considering the low population density of our area. They price things just under what all the supermarkets are selling them at, and often quite a bit lower, and they have such amazing turnover that everything is fresh and beautiful.

Anyway, I was making a veggie platter with a creamy collard greens dip (only 100 calories per quarter cup, I need to blog that one too!) so I picked up an extra head for roasting. This recipe transforms cauliflower haters into ga-ga cauliflower fans. And fully roasted, the pieces keep beautifully for days in the fridge, making them a go-to recipe for those times when I'm not going to be home to cook much and The Huz is on a veggie kick.

I reprint the recipe here in the spirit of ensuring that it never disappears from the web. It's quick and easy (those famous two lies, but it's true!) and I really encourage you to give it a try.

The one suggestion I might make is that over-cooking the cauliflower may be the best thing you can do. Try it and see if you don't enjoy the extra caramelization that results.

Yum.

Roasted Spicy Cauliflower

(About 4 servings, recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook)

1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo pepper)
pinch salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Placed cut up cauliflower, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into mixing bowl and stir well to combine and coat cauliflower with oil and red pepper. Arrange in single layer on heavy baking sheet or baking dish. Roast until softened and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.