Whole Roasted Cauliflower

I have eaten more cauliflower than I am willing to admit trying to perfect this recipe before sharing it with you guys. I'm talking some serious stomach pains from this fiber rich food (TMI?!?). 

But here's why I've eaten so much these past few days. Every combination I tried was so delicious that I couldn't stop. I did learn that less is more when it comes to seasoning, and this recipe is equally impressive as it is simple. This will be my next side dish to a dinner party, and I've got some tips to share on how to make that easier for you after I share the receipe. 

Pro-tip: Do not skip the aluminum foil, if you do, you will end up with a very dry outside and under cooked inside

cauliflower.jpg

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 head of cauliflower. 
  • olive oil, amount depending on size
  • 1/2-1 tsp of large grain salt
  • 2 tbs of ghee or butter 
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • herb of your choice, I used parsley.

other items needed: cooking brush, aluminum foil. 

Makes 4 servings

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400.  Cut the bottom of the cauliflower and remove all the leaves and hard stem without breaking apart the cauliflower.
  2. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet (or any baking dish, the cast iron is preferred but if you don't have one, no worries!) with olive oil. Place cauliflower in the skillet and drizzle with oil. Use the brush (or your hands) to make sure that the oil is evenly coated, you can use the oil at the bottom of the skillet to coat as well. Add salt evenly. You can always add more if needed I start with 1/2 tsp but add more depending on the size of the cauliflower.
  3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes in the middle of the oven.
  4. While the cauliflower is roasting it's last few minutes, melt 2 tbs of butter or ghee with the garlic. 
  5. Remove foil, brush with garlic butter mixture and allow it to roast for another 5-10 minutes until it turns golden and edges start to brown. It should be more golden than in the picture, the lighting outside at dusk gave the picture a more cool color. 
  6. While hot, top with herb of your choice and more salt if necessary. Enjoy immediately.  

As promised here is my dinner party tip if you do not want to be traveling with a hot cast iron skillet. Do steps 1-3, one to two hours before you leave, let cool and keep it covered with aluminum foil. Right before you leave, do step 4 and then heat up in the oven at your dinner party before serving. 

Raye SpittleComment