Charred Cauliflower with Anchovies, Capers & Olives

 

 

This recipe is on The New York Times Cooking site developed by David Tanis who writes “You can serve it room temperature as an antipasto, as part of a buffet or warm as a nearly vegetarian main course with rice pilaf, roasted sweet potatoes or pasta.”

My appetite has definitely been reset by the intensity of these flavors and now I'm inspired to invest the time to make my meals more flavorful. The combination of anchovies, capers, olives, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and olive oil is so delicious that I am thinking of other foods that would be delicious in this mixture such as garbanzos or edamame beans. Following are some process photos to see how interesting it looks in the bowl; food prep can be fun.

 

Look how saucy it is from the oven.

And the next day, I added a few more anchovies and olives and this cauliflower was great over mixed greens, hardy enough for some kale, romaine, parsley and watercress.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower (about 1 ½ pounds)

2 garlic cloves, minced (I used chopped garlic from a jar)

4 to 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, finely chopped

½ cup roughly chopped good-quality green or black olives 

1 TB capers, rinsed, patted dry, rough chopped

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 TB lemon juice

1 TSP grated lemon zest

½ C roughly chopped parsley

3 TB chopped scallions

Omitted from the original recipe and optional:

salt and pepper

red-pepper flakes, ½ TSP

 

Preparation:

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove, bring to a boil. Meanwhile, with a large knife, cut the cauliflower into quarters. Cut off the tough core at the stem end of each piece. Cut cauliflower quarters into rough ½ inch slices. Cut larger pieces into several pieces, so all the chopped cauliflower is about the same size. 

2. Salt boiling water generously and add chopped cauliflower. Cook for two minutes, then drain and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

3. In a large bowl, put garlic, anchovies, olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. 

At this point, I want to add to this recipe, step back, admire your work.  It is so aromatic and beautiful!

Whisk ingredients together and taste. Adjust salt or lemon juice as necessary. 

4. Add blanched cauliflower to the bowl. Optional: Season lightly with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes to taste. Toss the cauliflower with your ands to coat evenly with the dressing.

5. Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish. (Recipe may be prepared to this point several hours ahead of baking.)

6. To finish, heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake cauliflower uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until top is browned and beginning to char in some places. For extra char, pale dish under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature with a sprinkling of parsley and scallions. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.

 

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