Roasted Cauliflower

If you love cauliflower, this recipe is for you. And if you are not a fan of cauliflower, you soon will be!  This dish is one of  my boyfriend’s favorites, so much so that whenever I see heirloom cauliflower in the store, I always throw it in my basket.

Most people think of cauliflower as being off-white, however it actually grows in a variety of colors such as orange, purple and light-green.  These varieties are known as heirloom cauliflower because they are not used in modern large-scale commercial agriculture, which is probably the reason most people have never seen them!  The light green variety is actually romanesco broccoli, a variant of cauliflower/broccoli that originated in the area now known as Rome.   These vartieties of cauliflower contain far more vitamins and nutrients (orange cauliflower has 25 times the level of Vitamin A, for example) as the standard run-of-the-mill white cauliflower.  Heirloom cauliflower is deliciously nutty, and roasting the vegetable is the perfect was to bring out this flavor.

For my recipe, I like the cut the cauliflower into small pieces and place it in le creuset stoneware (you can also use any type of baking dish such as pyrex or stainless steel). I like to mine garlic two ways: finely and into larger chunks, which roast themselves in the oven adding a fantastic flavor. I sprinkle the cauliflower with salt and pepper, and drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil (evoo). Cook the cauliflower at 375 degrees for 30 or so minutes. Stir every 10 minutes, adding in some additional evoo or chicken broth after about 20 minutes. If you want to add a little kick, add in some fresh cut parsley or green onions at this point as well.

Cauliflower
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chicken broth
Some optional additions: Parsley and/or Green Onions