Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Lemony Yogurt Sauce

Several weeks before heading to Paris, the September issue of Food and Wine arrived, and I quickly dog-eared a half dozen of their “40 Best Recipes Ever,” including this one: Miznon’s Whole Roasted Cauliflower .

What struck me about the recipe was its simplicity, calling for nothing more than salt, water, and olive oil. I have seen (and made ) other fussier whole-roasted cauliflower recipes, calling for entire bottles of wine for poaching and brown-butter bread crumbs for garnishing. ( Sorry .)

No such embellishments here.

This one calls for poaching whole heads of cauliflower in well-salted water, followed by blasting the drained, dried, then well-oiled and further-salted heads in a 550ºF oven for 25-30 minutes or until they become beautifully golden with irresistibly crisp edges. Upon exiting the oven, the heads receive another drizzling of olive oil and sprinkling of salt, if you wish.

The heads are so tasty on their own: the salt-water bath ensures the heads will be well-seasoned throughout, and the generous sea salt sprinkling before the heads are roasted makes the exterior especially tasty.

That said, I love a condiment with this sort of thing, and a lemony yogurt sauce is simple to stir together and a particularly good match. Inspired by a dish I had at Mokonuts in Paris , I drizzled olive oil and za’atar over the smear of yogurt on the plate. Skhug would be a nice one here, too.

Two more reasons why I love this dish:

1. You can boil the heads ahead of time, leaving you minimal prep come dinner time. Note: you’ll need a good half an hour to get the heads golden and crisp in the oven.

2. It’s festive and fun—thee heads look so dramatic on the table. Count on one head for every two people (depending, I suppose, on how many other dishes you are serving.)

Incidentally, I made this most recently for Ben and my parents, all of whom loved it. I boiled two heads in the same pot several hours before they arrived, then roasted the heads on a single sheet pan about half an hour before dinner.

Also on the menu: Chicken with Sherry and Sherry Vinegar , Favorite Kale Salad (without the bread crumbs), Peasant Bread , and One-Bowl Buttermilk Birthday Cake for Graham, who ( somehow ) turned 7 on Monday. More soon. Hope all is well!

PS: All of My Favorite Cauliflower Recipes Right Here

Description

I’ve made this three times since spotting the recipe in the September Food and Wine : Miznon’s Whole Roasted Cauliflower . I’ve slightly changed the salt quantities/types — I use kosher salt (as opposed to sel gris) to boil the cauliflower, and I use Maldon sea salt (as opposed, again, to sel gris) for seasoning. I like serving this with a lemony yogurt sauce, but know that that is totally optional.

1. Preheat oven to 550°F with oven rack in center of oven. Trim stem of cauliflower, keeping leaves intact, so it will sit level on a rimmed baking sheet—I line mine with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Stir in the 1/3 cup kosher salt until dissolved.
2. Add cauliflower to water; place a heatproof ceramic plate on top of cauliflower to keep it submerged or use a lid and partially cover the pot. Boil until tender and a fork inserted in cauliflower meets no resistance, 10 to 13 minutes— NOTE: If you are using a smaller head of cauliflower, consider reducing the boiling time to 8-10 minutes. Using a spider, gently lift cauliflower from water, and let drain in spider or transfer to a colander and drain in the sink. Let stand until cauliflower has cooled slightly and is dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. Place cauliflower, stem side down, on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil between hands, then rub over cauliflower to apply a thin, even layer OR: drizzle the cauliflower with some of the tablespoon of oil, then coat your hands with the remainder and rub the oil all over it. Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt over the cauliflower (salt might clump in some places). You may need to turn the cauliflower upside down and rub it in the salt that falls on the sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven until dark brown, about 25 minutes—this may take longer depending on your oven. If you find it’s not getting as dark as you would like, you can run it under the broiler, watching closely the entire time.
4. Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: stir together the yogurt, lemon, and salt.
5. To serve, smear the yogurt onto a plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with za’atar.
6. Remove cauliflower from the oven, and carefully rub with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on top of yogurt smear. Serve hot.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Vegetable
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Description

I’ve made this three times since spotting the recipe in the September Food and Wine : Miznon’s Whole Roasted Cauliflower . I’ve slightly changed the salt quantities/types — I use kosher salt (as opposed to sel gris) to boil the cauliflower, and I use Maldon sea salt (as opposed, again, to sel gris) for seasoning. I like serving this with a lemony yogurt sauce, but know that that is totally optional.

1. Preheat oven to 550°F with oven rack in center of oven. Trim stem of cauliflower, keeping leaves intact, so it will sit level on a rimmed baking sheet—I line mine with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Stir in the 1/3 cup kosher salt until dissolved.
2. Add cauliflower to water; place a heatproof ceramic plate on top of cauliflower to keep it submerged or use a lid and partially cover the pot. Boil until tender and a fork inserted in cauliflower meets no resistance, 10 to 13 minutes— NOTE: If you are using a smaller head of cauliflower, consider reducing the boiling time to 8-10 minutes. Using a spider, gently lift cauliflower from water, and let drain in spider or transfer to a colander and drain in the sink. Let stand until cauliflower has cooled slightly and is dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. Place cauliflower, stem side down, on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil between hands, then rub over cauliflower to apply a thin, even layer OR: drizzle the cauliflower with some of the tablespoon of oil, then coat your hands with the remainder and rub the oil all over it. Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt over the cauliflower (salt might clump in some places). You may need to turn the cauliflower upside down and rub it in the salt that falls on the sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven until dark brown, about 25 minutes—this may take longer depending on your oven. If you find it’s not getting as dark as you would like, you can run it under the broiler, watching closely the entire time.
4. Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: stir together the yogurt, lemon, and salt.
5. To serve, smear the yogurt onto a plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with za’atar.
6. Remove cauliflower from the oven, and carefully rub with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on top of yogurt smear. Serve hot.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Vegetable
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2018/10/10/whole-roasted-cauliflower-with-lemony-yogurt-sauce/

This past Sunday morning I made a quick trip to the Schenectady Green Market in search of Tuscan kale and was relieved not only to find it — thank you Barber’s Farm ! — but also to see so much late-summer produce still on the stands: bell peppers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes.

Friends, I am 100 percent ready for butternut squash lasagna and cabbage soup and balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts , but I am not quite ready to say goodbye to so many of my seasonal favorites, namely corn and peppers.

I’ve had this recipe from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard bookmarked since the book came out this past spring, but I’ve only just gotten around to making it, which is a shame because it’s such a good one!

It’s simple and quick, too: char poblano peppers in a dry skillet; halve and seed them; fill with a mixture of sautéed onions, corn, quinoa, scallions, a minced hot chili, cubed cheese, and smoked paprika; transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and just beginning to brown.

Once you make this once, you can adapt the filling recipe as you wish. I’m envisioning keeping the base elements and flavors the same—quinoa, some sort of good melting cheese, a smoky seasoning—but as the year moves on, adding some seasonal touches: roasted butternut squash and onions? Finely sliced kale or cabbage? Shredded Brussels sprouts? The possibilities are endless.

But for now, while the local corn is still arriving at my little Co-op, this one’s getting made without change on repeat. Also: the stuffed peppers can be made ahead! Store them in the fridge in a covered vessel, then bake as needed—how nice, right?

PS: Another favorite, crowd-pleasing pepper recipe: Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers

Description

Adapted from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard

• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 5 poblano peppers
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 ears corn, kernels stripped from cob
• 1 hot chili, seeded and finely diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (I use nearly all of the greens)
• 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese or Gruyère or whatever you like, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika—I like using smoked Paprika here
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving, optional
• lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil quinoa for 9 to 12 minutes or until done. Drain through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside.
2. Place a large, dry skillet over high heat. Add the peppers and cook, turning every so often, until they’ve blackened in spots on each side. Set aside to cool. Halve the peppers: cut through the stem for a pretty presentation. Pull out the seeds and discard.
3. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or just a big glug) to the skillet and keep at medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for five minutes or until soft. Add the corn, hot chili, and scallions. Turn off heat. Stir to combine. Add the cooked quinoa, cheese, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste. Set aside.
4. Spoon the filling into the peppers. If you are serving these later in the week, store tightly covered until ready to bake.
5. Bake until the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Mexican