Wednesday 17 February 2010

About Roasted Cauliflower

Cooking for boys who claim to hate vegetables is SO WORST. It's like, give me a freaking BREAK already, I'm trying to do something good for your freaking colon so just eat the goddamned cauliflower, you know? But that's the thing about boys; they make no sense.

That's why I hereby give all y'all permission to be SNEAKY.

And that's exactly what roasted cauliflower is. Sneaky. One could even call it CRAFTY. (See what I did there?) Because roasted cauliflower tastes nothing like cauliflower. It tastes like french fries. But BETTER. Better, better french fries. I LOVE BETTER FRENCH FRIES.

Ahem.

Your shopping list for two is pretty simple. and pretty much consists of the following:
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • A couple glugs of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
That's it.

Now go and preheat your oven to 425 F. Now unwrap your head of cauliflower and remove any outer leaves, and trim the bottom off the stem to discard any brownish/blackish spots. As soon as you're done with that set your head of cauliflower stem-side down on a cutting board, and marvel at how freakishly brain-like that freaky-deaky vegetable looks. Then pull out your chef's knife and prepare to audition for Shaun of the Dead 2: Cooking Boogaloo.

Slice your brain--I mean cauliflower--into approximately 1/4-inch sections.



Remove these to a large bowl and dump a couple glugs of extra virgin olive oil over them. Then add a few pinches of salt and pepper, and gently toss the slices so they are completely coated but still (for the most part) intact. Spread the cauliflower into a single layer on a half-sheet pan.



Once the oven has preheated, stick the tray in and let it roast for about 20 minutes. Barring any major catastrophes (they have been known to happen) it should look about like this:



Use a spatula to flip the pieces over, then stick them back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes, until they look like this:



(That would be golden, brown, and delicious.) Now pile those on a plate with, what is that? Barbecued chicken and macaroni and cheese?



YES PLEASE.

11 comments:

Jennie said...

This looks delicious and I want all of it right the hell now.

Heather Anne Hogan said...

I want all of it right the hell now too! No need to be sneaky; just gives it to me!

Ashley said...

Mmmm, food. Mmmm, tasty brains.

Tam said...

this one time during a south beach diet phase that almost resulted in divorce I tried to feed my husband the cali-flowers that are SUPPOSED to be whipped up like mashed potatoes... this did not go well.

Also, while I want to NOM on this like RIGHT NOW - he still wouldn't touch it. But I do have a kid brewing that I'm sure is MUCH more gullible (lets hope)

kat said...

i just made cauliflower puree the other day!

seth did not eat it.

You can call me, 'Sir' said...

This comment section desperately needs more guy, so....

Cauliflower is certifiably icky, and I say that with the deepest voice possible. It's just not good at all in anything. And yet....

I'll give this a try. Because I trust you, which may result in my downfall.

kat said...

please blog about it.

pretty please.

peefer said...

I have a lasagna recipe that uses cauliflower.

Sir, you should know that real men eat cauliflower in all its various preparations. I say this in a deeper voice than yours.

sarah g said...

have anything for broccoli. the boy likes it and i only like it with cheese... ?

kat said...

i do have this, but roasted broccoli still tastes very much like broccoli (but sweeter and crunchier). the dressing linked at the bottom of the post is really good though.

eclectic said...

I love cauliflower in every preparation possible. I also love everything you've ever cooked and blogged about, so this seems very much like WIN! to me.

But: while my kids would shriek happily over boxed macaroni, I will gladly give them my share. I'm a homemade macaroni snob now, and I blame Heather Anne.