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  • Spiced Chickpeas with Cauliflower, Potatoes and Roasted Lemon

    A delicious recipe from NYT Cooking. This is the original recipe, below, but I suggest these modifications:

    1. I doubled it. Made enough for dinner for four plus leftovers for all the next day.
    2. I used a combo of purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflower.
    3. No need to boil the lemon in salt water. Just slice it up and roast it.
    4. I didn't have cherry tomatoes (not in season) so I soaked some of our sun-dried tomatoes and used those. Due to their high sugar content, you might risk burning them during the roasting process, so I'd suggest adding them halfway through the roasting time.
    5. I didn't have any jalapeños and it was delicious all the same.

    INGREDIENTS

    Yield: 4 servings

    Kosher salt, as needed

    1 lemon, preferably a Meyer lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

    1 (2¼-pound) head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)

    1 ½cups cherry tomatoes, halved

    2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced

    ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

    1 teaspoon cumin seeds

    1 teaspoon tomato paste

    ½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce

    ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

    ½ teaspoon ground cumin

    ¼ teaspoon ground coriander

    1 (14- to 16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and blotted dry

    1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes

    2 rosemary sprigs

    ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (or substitute soy, nut or coconut milk yogurt)

    ¼ cup chopped fresh dill or mint, plus more for garnish

    ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

    ¼ cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

    1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced

    Fresh lemon juice, as needed

    PREPARATION

    Step 1

    Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of oven and heat to 425 degrees. Bring a small pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add lemon slices and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut slices into quarters.

    Step 2

    On a rimmed sheet pan, toss cauliflower, tomatoes and jalapeños with ¼ cup oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Fold in lemon slices. Place pan on bottom rack of oven and roast, tossing every 10 minutes, until well-browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

    Step 3

    In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup oil, cumin seeds, tomato paste, Tabasco, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander.

    Step 4

    On a separate rimmed sheet pan, toss together chickpeas, potatoes, spice-oil mixture and salt to taste. Top with rosemary sprigs. Roast on top rack until potatoes are golden, 30 to 40 minutes, tossing mixture halfway through. Remove pan and toss with more salt to taste.

    Step 5

    While everything is roasting, make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, dill, basil, parsley, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.

    Step 6

    To serve, toss roasted chickpeas and potatoes with cauliflower mixture. Drizzle with more oil, yogurt sauce and herbs.

  • Cauliflower Piccata

    From New York Times Cooking:

    This is the original recipe from NYT Cooking, below, but I modified it as follows: I doubled it (since our overwintered VF cauliflower are so massive right now); I used half as much butter and subbed olive oil; I used cannelini beans instead of chickpeas and I roasted them with the cauliflower; I used chicken stock instead of veg stock; I roasted the sliced lemon with the cauliflower and beans. So good!

    INGREDIENTS

    Yield: 4 servings

    1 cauliflower, cut into large 2-inch florets

    Extra-virgin olive oil

    Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

    1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained (optional)

    1 shallot, finely diced

    3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

    1 cup vegetable stock

    4 tablespoons unsalted butter

    2 tablespoons capers, drained

    Zest of 1 lemon

    2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

    Parsley, chopped, for garnish

    1 lemon, sliced, for serving

    PREPARATION

    Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the cauliflower florets onto a sheet pan and drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with kosher salt and black pepper, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden and tender. Remove from the oven, add the chickpeas, if using, and toss to combine.

    Step 2

    Heat a medium skillet to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the shallot, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly to keep from scorching. Pour the stock into the pan and simmer until reduced by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, then stir in the butter, capers, lemon zest and juice. Season with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and a few turns of black pepper.

    Step 3

    To serve, place the cauliflower and chickpeas, if using, on serving plates. Top with the lemon-caper sauce. Top with parsley and serve with lemon slices.

  • Z's Potato Salad

    Salad:

    • 3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed and cut into half inch cubes
    • chopped green olives
    • a few hard boiled eggs
    • handful of chopped roasted red peppers (we roast our own and freeze them in the fall)
    • a scoop of capers
    • fresh carrots, diced up mini
    • fresh peas or greens or any other veggie (colored cauliflower is great)
    • Fresh herbs (cilantro, dill, basil, thyme, tarragon, anything you like, in any combination)

    Steam or boil the cubed spuds until just tender (don't overcook! they keep cooking even after you drain the water). Add the rest of the ingredients to the drained spuds.

    Dressing:

    I always wing it, but I usually do some combo of the following in the blender to taste:

    • glug of olive oil
    • a couple big spoonfuls of mayo or vegenaise
    • splash of tamari (soy sauce
    • little glug of vinegar (cider or red wine is good)
    • plop of sweet pickles & their juices (we make our own in the fall and our recipe includes onions)
    • salt
    • pepper
    • dash of Cranky Baby Hot Sauce

    Blend. Pour over the potato mixture and mix together.

  • Cauliflower with browned butter

    Makes 6 servings
     
    1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
    1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)
    2 Tbsp.  fresh minced parsley
     
    1.  Steam cauliflower until just tender, about 6 minutes.  Drain and keep hot.
    2.  Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook and swirl butter until it foams and then turns a pale brown.  Don't let the butter burn!  If it does, start over.
    3.  Pour hot butter over cauliflower and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve at once.

  • Roasted cauliflower

    Makes 6 servings
     
    2 large cloves of garlic, minced
    3 Tbsp. olive oil
    Salt and black pepper, to taste
    1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
    1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
     
    1.  Combine garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a casserole dish.  Add cauliflower, and toss to coat well.
    2.  Bake 25 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring once halfway through.
    3.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan and parsley, and broil 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.

  • Brussels Sprouts with Mustard-Caper Butter

    Serves 8 or more. A zesty way to do up Brussels sprouts, romanesco, broccoli and/or cauliflower. This has become a staple at our Thanksgiving table.
     
    Mustard-Caper Butter:
    2 garlic cloves
    sea salt and fresh pepper
    6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temp
    2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
    1/4 cup drained small capers, rinsed
    grated zest of 1 lemon
    3 Tbs. chopped marjoram, or 2 tsp. dried
     
    Pound the garlic with 1/2 tsp salt in a mortar until smooth, then stir it into the butter with the mustard, capers, lemon zest, and marjoram. Season with pepper. Can be made a day ahead and then refrigerated. Bring back to room temp before serving.
     
    The Vegetables:
    1 lb. Brussels sprouts, or 1 whole stalk stripped of its sprouts
    1 head romanesco and/or broccoli and/or cauliflower
     
    Trim the base off the sprouts, then slice them in half or, if large, into quarters. Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into bite-size pieces.
    Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add teh other veggies and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
    Drain, shake off any excess water, then toss with the Mustard-caper butter. Taste for salt, season with pepper and toss again.