Roasted Cauliflower

I enjoy cauliflower. I enjoy it raw, I enjoy it in a curry, and I enjoy it steamed in the microwave with a touch of butter.

The other day I came home from grocery shopping with a huge head of cauliflower only to discover that I had just bought another huge head a couple of days previous. So I thought it was time to try something a little different.

This recipe for roasted cauliflower, which I found in the Calgary Herald a couple of weeks ago, appealed to me, so I gave it a whirl. It was yummy – sweet and nutty, quite different from regular old cauliflower.

1 head of cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

- whisk together -

Cut cauliflower in 1 ½ inch florets, rinse, and pat dry. Drizzle oil mixture over cauliflower florets, tossing until well coated. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 475C for 18 – 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes of roasting.

Meanwhile, prepare topping (optional, but why wouldn’t you choose topping?)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 oz finely chopped prosciutto
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 tsp butter
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup Italian parsley

Heat oil in frying pan, sauté prosciutto over medium-low for 3 minutes, until just crisp, add shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add butter and bread crumbs, sauté for another minute, stir in parsley.

(I had no prosciutto or shallots on hand, so just added some extra bread crumbs instead and it was just fine. You can also use a couple of tbsp parmesan in place of bread crumbs.)

Sprinkle over roasted cauliflower.