20 COOK’S COUNTRY • APRIL/MAY 2019
FOR DECADES, MOST Americans
regarded cauliflower as an after-
thought—a fine (if bland) choice for
crudités or for a side dish when steamed
with carrots and broccoli, but that was
about it. But with this vegetable’s recent
surge in popularity, our eyes have been
opened to newfound—and delicious—
possibilities, most of them based on the
enhanced appeal of roasted cauliflower.
When it’s roasted, the sugars in this
vegetable caramelize, turning the flavor
nutty and sweet. I wanted to do my
part in service of this once-neglected
vegetable and literally dress it up in a
compelling salad.
I collected and prepared a handful of
recipes for roasted cauliflower salads.
Our favorite of the bunch, from ac-
claimed London-based chef and author
Yotam Ottolenghi, was an herb-heavy
salad that called for roasting two-thirds
of a head of cauliflower until browned,
soft, and sweet and then grating the
remaining third on the large holes
of a box grater and adding it to the
salad raw. The contrasting flavors and
textures of one vegetable treated two
different ways were very appealing.
Inspired by this success, I cut the
florets into bite-size pieces and roasted
them in a rimmed baking sheet on the
lowest rack of a hot 475-degree oven.
This oven rack position ensured that
the bottoms of the florets caramelized
while the tops retained a slightly firm
texture. Rather than use one-third of
the head, I roasted all the florets and
blitzed just the raw core in the food
processor until it was finely chopped.
It took on an almost grain-like texture
with a pleasant crunch. I whisked
lemon juice and olive oil together for
a quick vinaigrette and tossed in both
types of cauliflower.
As for the herbs, parsley and mint
added a cooling brightness that high-
lighted the subtle cauliflower flavor.
Since I already had my food processor
out, I used it to do the work of chop-
ping the fresh herbs (about five pulses
did the trick). This salad had a pleasing
mix of sweet, roasted flavors balanced
with freshness from the uncooked cauli-
flower and herbs.
Now, for the finishing touches.
To play up the cauliflower’s natural
sweetness, I stirred in a minced shal-
lot and some concentrated, fruity
golden raisins, which I let soften in
the vinaigrette while assembling the
salad. A little bit of coriander added a
citrusy perfume and flavor. For a light
crunch, I sprinkled on some toasted
sliced almonds.
This salad was so good—savory,
sweet, and complex—that I developed
two additional versions: one with
potent smoked paprika, apricots, and
hazelnuts and a second with ground
fennel, tart dried cranberries, and toast-
ed pistachios. I’m sorry, cauliflower; I’ll
never call you boring again.ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD
WITH GOLDEN RAISINS
AND ALMONDS
Serves 4
When shopping, look for cauli-
flower with no leaves attached to
the base of the head. Alternatively,
if you can find only cauliflower
with many leaves still attached,
buy a slightly larger head (about
2¼ pounds). Kitchen shears make
easy work of cutting the cauliflower
florets away from the core, but you
can use a paring knife if you prefer.
For the best results, be sure to use
a high-quality extra-virgin olive
oil here. Toast the sliced almonds
in a dry skillet over medium heat,
stirring often, until browned and
fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
1⁄3 cup golden raisins
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus
1 tablespoon juice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup fresh mint leaves
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted- Adjust oven rack to lowest position
and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim
outer leaves from cauliflower and
cut stem flush with bottom of head.
Flip cauliflower stem side up. Using
kitchen shears, cut around stem and
core to remove large florets. Chop
core coarse and set aside. Cut florets
through stems into 1-inch pieces (you
should have about 6 cups florets). - Toss florets, 1 tablespoon oil,
1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper
together in bowl. Transfer to rimmed
baking sheet and roast until florets are
tender and browned on bottoms, 12 to
15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. - While florets are roasting, combine
raisins, shallot, lemon zest and juice, co-
riander, remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining
¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ tea-
spoon pepper in large bowl; set aside. - Transfer core to food processor
and process until finely chopped,
10 to 20 seconds, scraping down sides
of bowl as needed; transfer to bowl
with dressing. Add parsley and mint
to now-empty processor and pulse
until coarsely chopped, 5 to 7 pulses,
scraping down sides of bowl as needed;
transfer to bowl with dressing. - Add florets and almonds to bowl
with dressing mixture and toss to com-
bine. Season with salt and pepper to
taste. Transfer to platter and serve.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD
WITH APRICOTS AND HAZELNUTS
Substitute chopped dried apricots for
golden raisins, ½ teaspoon smoked
paprika for coriander, and hazelnuts,
toasted, skinned, and chopped, for
almonds.ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SALAD
WITH CRANBERRIES AND
PISTACHIOS
Substitute dried cranberries for golden
raisins, ground fennel for coriander,
and shelled pistachios, toasted and
chopped, for almonds.&DXOLķRZHU6DODG
Cauliflower’s delicate
flavor makes it an ideal
canvas for a springtime
salad—as long as you
treat it right.
by Morgan Bolling