Cauliflower's one of those vegetables that's easily dismissed as crudité platter filler. It's nutritionally pretty empty as far edible plants go, but that's also one of its benefits: lacking the chlorphyllish notes of its cousin broccoli, it can stand up to a lot of flavors.For a maximalist approach, turn to Anthony Rose of Toronto's Fat Pasha, where he takes a classic Middle Eastern dish of fried cauliflower and dolls it up with a bunch of tasty additions that'll make you forget you're eating a mutant cabbage.
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First, roast the hell out of a whole head of cauliflower. You want it brown—because it has very little in the way of natural sugars, it can take a lot of heat without burning.Meanwhile, make your hot sauce from chilies, parsley, cilantro, and garlic, and throw together a simple tahina.Once the cauliflower comes out of the oven, hit it with some cubed halloumi cheese, hot sauce, tahini, pomegranate seeds, and toasted pine nuts.And never again believe that a single vegetable can't serve as a centerpiece for dinner.RECIPE: Roasted Cauliflower with Tahina, Halloumi, and Pomegranate Seeds