Getting jiggy with cauliflower

Behold the Parmesan-crusted, truffle-hit head of cauliflower – elegant in its simplicity, daring in its wholeness.

Seriously, when’s the last time you saw a cauliflower presented as an entire head? For me, it was a few years back, at Dymond Lake Lodge when I was out in Manitoba searching for polar bears and building igloos.

I had never seen one before, and haven’t since.

I’ve made some changes to the lodge’s simply perfect cauliflower recipe, including adding a kick of Dijon and a drizzle of truffle oil, but even without the truffle it’s smack-your-mama good*.

On a side note, I'm blogging from the Vancouver Winter Olympics for Food & Wine magazine. Check out the fun and tasty times here.

*(Or rather, just about as good as a head of cauliflower can be. And please don’t smack your mother.)

CHI-CHI CAULIFLOWER

(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, leaves and bottom core carefully removed so head remains intact

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon

fresh cracked pepper

drizzle of truffle oil (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place prepped cauliflower in a microwavable bowl with a bit of water in the bottom and cook (steam) on high until it’s al dente (about 7 minutes.)

Mix together Parmesan, mayo, Dijon and pepper.

Remove head of cauliflower from microwave dish, drain of excess water, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread with cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes, then broil for a minute at the end so it gets slightly browned.

Drizzle with truffle oil and present it whole. Eager eaters can just spoon out their portion.

Roasted cauliflower in tahini dressing

On this historic day, the inauguration of President Obama, during this historic week -- Sides Week at The National Nosh, I present to you a vegetable long overlooked, even derided, yet full of tasty possibilities. 

Here's how to make it.

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (Tip: whenever the price of cauliflower tops $4, which now seems routine, I do something I never would have imagined: I switch to frozen. It's not quite as good, but not half-bad, either.)

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 heaping Tbsp tahini

2 tsp water

juice of half a lemon

about 1 tsp za'atar (optional, but it kind of makes it)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss prepped cauliflower in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and lay out evenly on a cookie sheet. Roast in preheated oven until slightly browned; about 25 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together tahini, water and lemon juice. At first it'll seem like it won't come together, but it will. If it's too thick, thin it with more lemon juice or water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When cauliflower is done, toss with dressing and sprinkle with za'atar. 

And then bite into a taste of a brand new day.