Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Almond Herb Sauce Food

WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH ALMOND-HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oven while you prepare the cauliflower: Place a heavy oven-proof skillet (a cast-iron skillet looks very nice) or a baking sheet in the oven and turn the heat to 375 degrees. Place a small pan of hot water on the floor of the oven, to create steam.
• Break off and discard the outer leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the bottom of the stem, and then use the tip of a small, sharp knife to cut off the leaves close to the stem. Carefully cut out the hard core of the cauliflower, near the bottom. Leave the main stem intact and make sure not to cut through any of the florets.
• Rinse the cauliflower (leave the water clinging to the outside) and place on a work surface, core side up. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to rub over the cauliflower until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt.
• Place the cauliflower on the hot pan in the oven, core side down, and cook until very tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. During the cooking, baste 2 or 3 times with more olive oil. It should brown nicely. If you have a convection feature, use it toward the end of baking to brown the crust.
• Make the sauce: In a small frying pan, toast nuts over low heat, shaking often, just until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• Soak anchovies, if using, for 5 minutes in cool water. Rinse and set aside on paper towels.
• In a food processor, combine almonds, anchovies, garlic and butter and pulse until smooth. Mix in oil, then vinegar. Mix in herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• When cauliflower is tender, remove from the oven. (If desired, run it briefly under the broiler first to brown the surface; there is no need to do this if you used convection.)
• Serve cauliflower in the skillet or from a serving plate. Cut into wedges and spoon sauce around each wedge.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HERB-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Position 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the florets off of the cauliflower heads and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; put into a large bowl. Add 1/3 cup of the olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the florets out evenly on the 2 prepared baking sheets, without overlapping, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper between the two baking sheets. Roast the cauliflower until charred in spots and tender when pierced with a knife, 22 to 24 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the capers and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the parsley, scallions, lemon zest and juice and continue to pulse until the leaves are coarsely chopped. With the machine running, pour in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and process until the mixture forms a loose pesto--like consistency. Season with a pinch of salt to taste.
• Transfer the cauliflower to a serving platter and the herb-caper sauce to a small serving bowl or ramekin. Serve the cauliflower with dollops of the sauce.

WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH GREEN HERB SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush with 1/4 cup oil; season with salt and pepper. Pull short sides of parchment over cauliflower and fold one end over other a few times to seal. Fold long ends of parchment under cauliflower to create a packet. Roast until knife-tender, about 40 minutes. Tear open parchment at top; roast until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Stir together parsley, cilantro, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 cup oil in a small bowl to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cauliflower warm, with sauce alongside.

CAULIFLOWER WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Trim leaves from cauliflower, leaving 1 in. of stem for support. Place in Dutch oven; add hot water that covers stem but does not touch head. Cover and steam until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan; blend in flour and salt. Add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute longer. To serve, cut off stem and place cauliflower in a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with cheese, almonds and paprika. Accompany with green beans if desired.