Roasted Cauliflower
A.B.’s roasted cauliflower with sesame is the cauliflower recipe of all recipes. A.B. of course, is Anthony Bourdain a chef, author and legendary television host. He was self-deprecating to a fault about his cooking abilities, but when you hang with the likes of Eric Ripert among others, it’s hard to hang. This dish however, proves he had his moments and it stands up to any side I have ever eaten.
I received his cookbook, Appetites, for Christmas. Someone put together the facts that I am a fan, and I like to cook. It’s a thoughtful gift that I will put to good use. This is the recipe I chose to accompany lasagna bolognese for a family dinner and it didn’t last long. It’s so delicious that I could compulsively eat it all, if others weren’t clamoring for some themselves. Famous chef recipes are notorious for using rare ingredients and being difficult to make, but this is so simple the effort vs. taste equation makes it a bargain.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower – broken into florets by hand
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 TBL tahini
- 1 TBL white miso
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1–1/2 TBL water
- 3 TBL toasted white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450
- Toast the sesame seeds in a non-stick pan and set aside
- Mix the salt, coriander, oregano and a pinch of black pepper
- Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and spice mixture until the florets are evenly coated
- Arrange the florets on a baking sheet keeping them separated
- Bake for 10 minutes, then gently toss and turn them
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until they begin to brown, taking care not to let them burn
- While the cauliflower is roasting, whisk together the tahini, white miso, red wine vinegar and water
- Gently fold and coat the roasted cauliflower with the sauce mixture
- Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately
And just one more thing…
I have faithfully recorded this recipe editing only the #, &^, and @! from the original text. If you have read any of A.B.’s books you know what I mean.