Last weekend on a tiny table at the farmers market, I noticed three unusual heads of cauliflower and the farmer beaming at me with anticipation. The heads were not fluffy white like the supermarket cauliflower, but a beautiful creamy tan with tight skinny florets and greenish-purple stalks. I could sense he had grown them himself and that they would be packed with flavor. At a time when cauliflower has been processed into rice or pizza crusts, it’s wonderful to encounter one with deep original unspoiled flavors. So next time you see a scrawny-looking cauliflower, look again. It may be the best one you will ever eat.
serves 2
ingredients
1/2 small cauliflower
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus pinch
2 to 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Pinch of chili powder
instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Wedging a knife tip by the stalks, pull the cauliflower heads apart into large florets.
Rub them with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and lay flat on a baking sheet apart from each other. Place in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until they are golden brown and appear cooked through. Set aside.
In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add the garlic. Turn the heat down and let garlic cook for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat. If the garlic appears to burn, take the pan off the heat. Add the mustard seeds. They will pop and sizzle; immediately take the pan off the heat.
Spread the yogurt onto the bottom of a serving plate. Sprinkle pinches of salt and chili powder over it.
Drizzle the popped mustard seed-olive oil mix over the yogurt and place the cauliflower on top.
notes & variations
The cooking time will greatly vary on the size of the florets, so larger cauliflower florets may take 20 to 25 minutes to cook.
This can be eaten warm, room temperature or cold.
-
To keep it dairy-free, switch out yogurt for coconut yogurt, but add the juice of one lemon.
Also in Recipes
