Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Roasted Cauliflower

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I've never had Souvlaki before, so when I was making it for dinner tonight, I googled "what sides to serve with souvlaki?" and was taken to this post, in which a responder suggested this side dish.  WHEW, now there's a train of thought.  It was kismet, since I had just bought a bag of frozen cauliflower the day before.

This made a damn good, and so very easy, side dish!  It was very light, but also picked up a lot of the great flavors from the souvlaki.

I don't typically make side dishes, mostly because I forget, but largely because I'm so busy preparing the main meal, I don't have time to deal with making a side dish.  I usually will just buy those boxes of frozen side dishes, but now that we're ALL eating from the table, those don't go very far.  This, however, is super easy--all you have to do is toss it with some oil, garlic, and a few other things you already have in your pantry, toss it in the oven, stir it once, and serve it.

Yummy!
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Roasted Cauliflower, Source:  RouxBe Cooking School

Step 1: Making the Dressing


To make the dressing, crush the garlic over a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil and then set aside, while you prepare the cauliflower.
  • 1 clove garlic
  • zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • freshly cracked pepper (to taste)
  • 2 to 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Step 2: Preparing and Roasting the Cauliflower

  • 1 whole head cauliflower (I used half a bag of frozen cauliflower)
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
To start the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 450° degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the large florets from the cauliflower and cut them into even-sized pieces. Any of the very large florets can be sliced in half. Place the cauliflower into the dressing and toss.
To roast the cauliflower, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lay any flat pieces of cauliflower cut-side down, so they caramelize nicely. Roast for about 10 minutes before tossing. Return to the oven for about 3 or 4 minutes, until it's almost cooked through.
Once it is almost cooked through, grate some fresh parmesan cheese over top, if desired. Place back into the oven for another minute or so, just to melt the cheese.
Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.

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