The other night Michael and I were at a restaurant in Ventura called Watermark on Main. I ordered grilled swordfish, which arrived on a bed of what they called “cauliflower couscous” – finely minced cauliflower that was cooked with butter, garlic and salt/pepper and was absolutely delicious.
With the memory of that meal fresh in my mind, I made cauliflower at home tonight. I simply cut the individual florets into halves, put them in a bowl, tossed them with kosher salt, pepper and olive oil and transferred them to a roasting pan. They went into a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes (turned after 15 minutes) and voila: a vegetable that became carmelized and sweet.
I cook Brussels sprouts and broccoli the same way. Carrots and beets too. They all taste like candy when they’re roasted. At least to me. Michael still says they smell like skunks.
Skunks? seriously? something must be amiss with his beak- roasting vegetables is the best way to develop their flavors, by far, for stand alone eating, or adding to soups, casseroles, etc, Skunks?
skunks huh? Lots of stinky things are good like blue cheese.
Hmmm….had only veggies on the grill last night. I love veggies roasted or grilled. Same intense flavor. We have a farmers market every Saturday that comes to our development so I can stock up on veggies. It was a veggie feast except for the bacon….tee hee
We did pablano’s and jalapeno’s stuffed with this cream cheese mixture and chives and wrapped in bacon – Decadently good !! The peppers were a couple of lone peppers left over so what the hell was our motto after some wine. :-)
Roasted or steamed cauliflower makes for great fake mashed potaotes with roasted garlic.
I have learned to be a bit more creative since gluten free living has been forced on me. Even though potatos are gluten free it has made me more adventurous shall we say in the kitchen to try other things I wouldn’t have normally tried.
Actually, NYL, Michael said it smelled like skunk cabbage. He feels the same way about Brussels sprouts and broccoli and practically has to leave the kitchen when I cook them. But he’s not a veggie guy at all. Lately he’s been expanding his horizons and eating lentils and white beans, which I consider a moral victory.
He does love blue cheese or any cheese, Peg. It’s just veggies that are skunkie. We have a farmer’s market every day of the week somewhere in town (the location changes); Friday is the one closest to me and I go when I remember to. Nice having them come to your development. Your veggie feast last night sounds delish. I love making cauliflower mash too (sometimes I’ve added pureed celery root or even beets for a gorgeous color).
Well…good for all y’all. I feel all fat & guilty again (normal setting)…
You’ve managed, in one brief discussion, to almost deal the Full House of Veggies I Hate The Most. You attained the “BBCC” of Broccoli, B-Sprouts, Cabbage (rhymes with “gar-bage”) and Collie Flower — all you needed was Aspergras, that veggie that made Babe Ruth’s urine smell, and you’d had had the house!
Okay, that was my Rude Paragraph, all apologies offered. Jane, your description of how to take the Collie out of cauliflower makes it almost…sound…edible? Maybe even — dare I think this — TASTY? As someone who grew up being made to eat Boiled Lumps of Dark Green Things, or no dessert for you, this has promise. Oh, how I can relate to Michael. We’d have a grand Neanderthal time with dawgs & beans, and no doubt the noxious Blazing Saddles aftermath, as a “blowback” to other cooked veggies, so to speak…!
As for cheese. My wife hosted her local sorority chapter’s quarterly fling; we had an outdoor BBQ (which I cooked, then lumbered indoors for football), and the ladies brought various things, including three kinds of cheeses. Two were quite edible. But — to end on another crude note — I never eat a cheese that smells like peoples’ feet. One mistaken taste of the Brie, and THAT cracker was in the trash for me! Took a whole ‘nother beer to wash away the taste (insert caveman grunts here)…
i can’t imagine not being a “veggie person”. Broccoli, cauli, brussels sprouts, beets, etc. roasted and lightly dipped in lemon butter? That’s living high in my world.
Nor can I imagine doing the gluten free thing, Margaret, though it does have a growing number of proponents (not the least of which is Novak Djokovic, who adopted it and turned into the Ghengis Khan of pro tennis). I expect I could do it if absolutely necessary, but the notion of simultaneous pasta and bruschetta withdrawal makes me shudder.
Oh, Dave. You don’t know what you’re missing but oh well.
NYL, to give Michael a fair shake, he can’t eat veggies because of his Crohn’s disease in addition to just plain not liking the taste of them. He has to avoid foods high in fiber for the most part. But he appreciates my love of them and even cooks them for me when I’m busy! As for pasta and bread, both are sold everywhere these days in gluten free versions.
gluten free bread and pasta who knew? (apparently the entire world, me aside) I’d give those a try if I had to, but, to an old fashionista such as myself, it smacks of other new fangled non starters like decaf coffee, an alien concept to me. I roast my own beans, grind them in a hand grinder, and french press my coffee, and simply don’t drink the stuff otherwise. Good to know, though, and I’m a bit curious how they stack up to the ancient versions. Shame about Michael’s medical situation, but it sounds as if he has adapted. You mentioned he likes beans…has he tried Fordhook lima beans? I’m crazy for those things, and would choose them over a steak any day
Good suggestion, NYL. I think he does like (and can tolerate) lima beans so I’ll look for the Fordhooks.
My husband does something similar with broccoli but uses balsamic vinegar in the olive oil-kosher salt toss. It’s cooked at a high temp (like 500 degrees) and viola! Blasted Broccoli! My kids love all the stuff he fixes–“Brussel sprouts. Yes!” has even been uttered at our home!
I hope they work out for you. The Fordhooks are much more nutty and flavorful than the baby limas. Just like anything else, fresh are best, but both those and frozen can be pan roasted as well as boiled. Oddly enough, they are one of the few varieties of canned beans I don’t fancy, though.
Hm, Jane. Balsamic vinegar always adds a nice flavor twist so I’ll keep it in mind. I like making a syrup out of it by pouring it in a pot and reducing it down. And blasting the broccoli at the high temp also sounds like a technique to try – if they don’t burn!
Got it, NYL. Fordhooks.