Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Find yourself wanting to jazz up boring old cauliflower because you know you should eat it, but you just can't get past the taste? Welcome! I want to give a sincere, heart felt thanks to Emeril for providing this tasty recipe. You can find the original here, my adjustments are included below.

If you find yourself with leftovers, throw them in the blender with some chicken stock. This makes an excellent puree you can serve with another meal!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Parm, Lemon & Garlic
Adapted from recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon+ sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting(I did this every 5 minutes). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives/green onion and serve immediately while still warm.

Excellent with steak as an alternative to potatoes, or fish!

Spring Menu Suggestion--

In anticipation of a lovely weekend, I wanted to share a Spring menu suggestion with you that worked for me recently:

* Lemon-Oregano Chicken
* Panzanella (thus my freezer stash of whole grain croutons comes into play)
* Asparagus

If you want a little heavier side, it would also be great with a little parmesan orzo!

Lemon-Oregano Chicken
Gourmet April 2009
Yield: Makes 4 servings (I made 8 large chicken thighs from Ellwood's that ended up serving 6)

2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
8 chicken thighs with skin (about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used my own stock)
1 teaspoon dried oregano(I used a tbsp + of fresh oregano, MUCH better!)
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. (these could be done on the grill too)

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then whisk together with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat chicken dry and coat with lemon-garlic mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and remaining tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Brown chicken in 2 batches, skin side down, until golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes (chicken will not be cooked through). Transfer, skin side up, to a 4-sided sheet pan.

Pour off fat (and any small burnt pieces) from skillet. Add broth and remaining tablespoon lemon juice and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and oregano, then pour over chicken.

Roast chicken in oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Bella's Panzanella

I certainly can't claim to corner the market on bread salad, but I've never made it from a recipe. This is just usually what I throw in.

5-6 c. cubed whole grain baguette/country bread
1-2 lbs super ripe tomatos (various heirlooms are fun and make it colorful)
1 c. torn basil leaves
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Toast the bread cubes up with a little olive oil until golden brown and crispy (I know purists will groan, but I like the texture, so deal with it! ;) )

Meanwhile, mix olive oil, shallots, 1/2 the torn basil and red wine vinegar. Set aside/chill. I like to do this well ahead of time, so the flavors have time to meld.

Seed tomatos and cut into bite sized chunks. Along with liking to make the vinaigrette ahead of time, I also like to slice and store the tomatos in advance. This is b/c I will salt them to bring forth their natural juices, which combines beautifully with everything else going on.

You can make well in advance, combine all ingredients right before serving!

Asparagus

These are great on the grill and then served drizzled w/a balsamic reduction (our friend's speciality)

Or, most of the time, I throw them on a long plate w/a few tbsp of water, cover w/a matching long plate and let them rip in the microwave for 3 minutes. Drain. Perfectly steamed, not mushy, every time. Toss w/salt, pepper, butter and serve!

Whipped Cauliflower

Ahhhhhhhh New Year's resolutions! That's what brings me to this post today. After the holiday noshing on fondues and all things lovely and fattening, I am craving vegetation. And I'm laying starches to the side at the moment. Enter, Cauliflower.

Even if you detest Cauliflower, I'm going to challenge you to try this recipe and tell me you didn't like it. Very yummy! Not potatoes by any stretch, but certainly a worthy accompaniment to any protein. In my case, my pepper encrusted pork tenderloin with a soy ginger sauce, which I will post about next!

This makes either 2 generous portions or 4 modest ones.

Bella's Whipped Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
2 Tbsp half and half
1 Tbsp butter

1 can chicken broth

Salt

Fresh ground pepper(or white pepper)

Special equipment: Food processor or blender

Cut head of cauliflower into florets. Trimming stems closely. Place in pot and pour in chicken broth. Boil until tender (approx 10 minutes). Strain. Place in food processor with all other ingredients. Pulse approx. 5 times or until the texture pleases your palate. Season to taste.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Christmas Dinner 2008

My husband and I have slowly been trying to establish our own Christmas traditions. The only item we've stuck to so far is beef at Christmas. This year, I endeavored to make a prime rib.

And I must admit, roasting a huge hunk of meat is intimidating to me- even with instruction and a probe thermometer. But, I have to say, our prime rib turned out tasty this year, with enough left over from the 5lb roast to invite friends over a few days later for a French Dip party! :)

I was very impressed with our newest local butcher here in Richmond, VA- the Belmont Butchery. Owned and operated by Tanya Cauthen, a trained chef, who says the Butchery is where chefs in Richmond shop for their own meat.

http://belmontbutchery.com/

15 N Belmont Ave
Richmond, VA 23221
(804) 422-8519

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This is a classic Prime Rib recipe I found in a recent copy of Saveur:

Prime Rib

http://www.saveur.com/food/classic-recipes/prime-rib-21017532.html

1 5-bone beef standing rib roast (10–12 lbs.), chine bone removed and tied back on
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1⁄2 tbsp. dry mustard, preferably Colman's (see Canned Heat)
1 1⁄2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

1. Season beef with salt, including the rack of bones. Rub mustard all over beef; sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Set the beef in a 12" × 14" roasting pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2–3 days.
2. Remove beef from refrigerator 3 hours before you are ready to roast it, to allow it to come to room temperature. Arrange rack in lower third of oven and heat to 450°. Roast the beef, rib side up, until it begins to brown and sizzle, 20–25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°; continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 120° (for medium rare), about 2 hours more. Transfer roast to a carving board and reserve any pan juices. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 25–30 minutes. Remove and discard chine bone. Carve roast (following steps in Carving Prime Rib) and serve with reserved pan juices.
First published in Saveur, Issue #107
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We also served Green Bean Bundles, which are super easy, quick and yummy:


Green Bean Bundles


Recipe courtesy Paula Deen/foodtv.com

1 pound fresh green beans
Olive oil Salt and pepper
Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Blanch green beans for 3 minutes. Toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper. Bundle about 5 green beans and wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked.
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We started our meal with a piping hot, melt-in-your-mouth Goat Cheese Souffle. It's not a holiday in our house without a little goat cheese, bien sur!

Goat Cheese Souffles-
Recipe courtesy Martha Stewart magazine or www.marthastewart.com
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutesServes 4

Soft goat cheese can be substituted for aged; be sure to reduce the amt. of salt to ¾ tspn.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for dishes
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ c. whole milk, warmed
4 oz. firm aged goat cheese, grated or coarsely chopped (abt. 1 ½ cups)
¼ tspn fresh ground nutmeg
1 tspn coarse salt
¼ tspn fresh ground black pepper
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375.
Butter four 1 cup soufflé dishes. Dust w/flour, tap out excess.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over top(3 tbsp) and cook, whisking for 1 ½ minutes.

Add milk, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in yolks.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold cheese mixture into whites. Divide among soufflé dishes, filling 1 inch from top. Place on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, 12-15 minutes.

Serve Immediately! Bon Appetit!

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We finished all of this off with the Chocolate Malt Cake recipe found below!

The Queen's Beans....

With the holidays around the corner, inevitably there will be miles of green bean casserole at the ready. And I must confess, I absolutely hate this dish. With a passion. Anything with cream of mushroom in it is on my "Do Not Eat" list, actually.

So, I was thrilled to see this recipe in the latest copy of Saveur, promoting a fresh made green bean casserole. I haven't tried it yet, but wanted to put it out there for anyone looking for a fresher alternative. This seems like something I would actually eat! :)

Here's the accompanying article:
http://www.saveur.com/our-favorite-foods/fruits-and-vegetables/the-queens-beans-54860.html

Green Bean Casserole
SERVES 6 – 8
This recipe is an adaptation of the one developed in the 1950s by the Campbell's Soup Company.

3 cups Chicken Stock
1⁄2 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
Kosher salt, to taste
2 lbs. green beans, cut into 2" pieces
Canola oil
1 1⁄4 cups flour
2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
5 tbsp. butter
1⁄3 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Bring stock to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat; add mushrooms. Cover; let soften for 20 minutes. Strain; reserve broth. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans; cook until tender, 6–7 minutes. Chill beans in an ice bath; drain and pat dry.
2. Pour oil into a large pot to a depth of 2". Heat over medium-high heat until oil registers 350° on a deep-fry thermometer. Put 1 cup flour into a bowl. Working in batches, toss onions in flour; shake off excess and fry until golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.
3. Heat oven to 375°. Grease an 8" × 8" casserole with 1 tbsp. butter; set aside. Melt remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining flour; cook for 1 minute. Pour in reserved broth while whisking; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 15–20 minutes. Whisk in cream and combine with beans, half the onions, and salt and pepper in a bowl; transfer to casserole. Top with remaining onions; bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
First published in Saveur, Issue #106