Here, cauliflower gets treated the way meat is often cooked in restaurants-started in a pan to brown and finished in the oven. Faster than roasting with deeper browning outside while the inside stays firmer. It is then “dressed” with ingredients long associated with Sicilian cooking-capers and chili flakes, and some vinegar.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head, or 4 cups, cauliflower, broken into florets, florets sliced in half so florets are fairly uniform in size 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise 1/3rd cup capers, rinsed well and dried very well 1 red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice 1-2 teaspoons chili flakes, depending on how spicy you like your food Salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar Olive oil as needed
METHOD:
Heat oven to 425°F.
Put the cauliflower into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat completely. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large (10 inch) sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, film the pan with 1/8th-inch oil and heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is golden. Remove the garlic to a paper towel and drain, reserving any oil in the pan.
Turn the heat up under the pan to high. When hot, add the cauliflower to the pan, adding any remaining oil in the bowl to the pan. Cook, tossing to prevent burning, until the cauliflower is golden on the outside, but still firm within; around 6-10 minutes. Transfer to an oven proof pan or sheet-pan and place in center of the hot oven. Shaking the pan periodically to ensure even cooking, cook until browned evenly but not really soft, around 15-20 minutes.
While the cauliflower cooks, return the pan to the heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Blot the capers with a paper towel to be sure they are dry, and carefully add the capers to the hot oil. Be careful as they may sputter a bit at first. Cook the capers until they “bloom”-open up- and become crispy. This should take around 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes more so the onion becomes translucent and is no longer raw. Add the chile flakes and stir to mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
Add the vinegar and stir it around, mixing it with the other ingredients to form a sort of “dressing”.
Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and then pour the dressing over the cauliflower. Carefully toss to evenly coat the cauliflower with the dressing, taste for seasoning. The dish might need more salt and pepper or a shot of vinegar. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Chef’s Notes:
This dish has assertive flavors and some heat to it, and would be well matched with roasted potatoes (cube them half the size of the florets and combine the potatoes with the cauliflower and dressing.) or whole grains such as farro or wheat berries, or barley. You could also use this dish as “sauce” for pasta. Add some bread crumbs and or cheese to the dish to finish it.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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