Whole Roasted Italian Cauliflower
Easy
Prep 15 min Cook 40 min
The humble cauliflower which most of us remember being over boiled, mushy and covered in white sauce has definitely come into its own as far as flavour and versatility.
My Whole Roast Italian Cauliflower is a twist on the many adaptions I have seen which use Middle Eastern or curry spices. Obsessed with fresh herbs and Italian flavours such as Lemon, Garlic, Fresh Thyme and Rosemary. The marinade in this recipes is what makes this cauliflower shine. I surrounded the cauliflower with a selection of vegetables I had in the fridge at the time. So use what ever you have and mix it up.
To turn this into an incredible Cauliflower parmigianna, in the second cooking, top the cauliflower with a couple of generous spoons of tomato pasta sauce and a handfull of grated parmesan and mozzarella and you have an Italian dish that will rival any Nonna.
A lovely side dish of Sfincione or Sicilian Focaccia ( from My Cook Book) would be perfect and if you are doing Low Carb or Gluten Free try my Low Carb Basil Pesto and Mozzarella Foccacia.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
- Peel of 1 lemon – I love using a peeler to peel the lemon, I then thinly slice the peel into thin strips, you can use a zester
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tbs drained capers ( optional)
- 1 tsp fresh Thyme leaves
- a few sprigs of Rosemary
- 1/2 tsp salt – I used 3/4 tsp for the whole cauliflower and the vegetables… but I like good strong flavours…start with 1/4 tsp and see how you go.
- 1/2 tsp Freshly cracked pepper
Vegetables
- 1 whole cauliflower or 1/2 a large cauliflower – trimmed of any brown, dead leaves, keep the green leaves, they are delicious baked.
- 1/2 Spanish onion, thickly sliced
- 1 large zucchini cut into 2 cm thick rounds
- 3 stalks of celery, sliced into 2 cm thick slices
- 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
Recipe Steps
Preheat the oven to 200c/ 180c – 190c fan-forced.
Finely chop all of the herbs and mix them with the olive oil, lemon juice, rind, seasoning, and minced garlic.
Wash and drain the cauliflower and set it in a baking dish leaving enough room for the vegetables. Spoon the marinade over the cauliflower, ensuring you work the marinade into the florets themselves. Keep about 2 tbs of the marinade to toss through the vegetables.
Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes. Toss all the chopped vegetables with the remainder of the marinade. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and scatter these around the cauliflower, roast for further 20 minutes. ( 15 minutes if you are making Cauliflower Parmigiana)