Seasonal local food recipe No. 137: Roasted curried cauliflower
Roasted cauliflower is trending everywhere at the moment – even on BBC’s Masterchef. It seems that roasting this “Marmite” vegetable can transform dyed-in-the-wool cauliflower haters into lifelong fans.
San Francisco-based foodie Darya Pino considers this her best recipe of all time (that’s some claim!)
She says: “What’s weird is that this is just roasted cauliflower, it couldn’t sound any less glamorous. The coolest part of all is that anyone (like ANY anyone) can make this.
“I like to add curry powder to mine, but you can play around with whatever spices you like, or just make it plain. It still freaks me out how good this recipe is.”
Serves: 2-4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower (or several small ones)
curry powder
olive oil
sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 250C, Gas Mark 9. Meanwhile break the cauliflower into medium-small florets and place into a large bowl or baking pan. Be sure the pieces are as evenly sized as possible, or they will cook unevenly. The smaller you make the pieces, the quicker they will cook and the more caramelized they will become.
Drizzle cauliflower pieces generously with olive oil and season well with salt and curry powder. Distribute evenly in a single layer at the bottom of a baking pan. If necessary, use a second baking pan to be sure the pieces aren’t too crowded.
Cover the pans with foil and place into the oven. Roast, covered, for 10-15 minutes. The cauliflower should be slightly soft and start looking translucent. If not replace foil and cook another 5 minutes.
When the cauliflower has finished steaming, remove the foil and toss with tongs. Continue to roast, stirring every 8-10 minutes until the tips of the cauliflower begin to brown and become crisp. Approximately 30-35 minutes.
Adjust salt to taste (you will probably need another sprinkle) and serve.
- Believe it or not, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests making roasted cauliflower as a nibble to go with drinks. He seasons it with lemon juice and smoked paprika before roasting or putting it on the barbeque.
