Pesto is a wonderful complement to roasted cauliflower. This recipe calls for thin shreds of carrots added to the pesto for a little hit of crunch and sweetness, but the recipe is great without the shreds if you do not have the time to prep the carrot shreds. Whatever nuts you use in the pesto would be the nuts to use to garnish this dish.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large or 2 smaller heads cauliflower, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch slabs (some florets will fall apart, that is fine, and the core should be left intact to hold the slices together) Olive oil as needed Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup Pesto (see recipe on website) ¼ cup nuts, chopped, if not pine nuts (Use whatever nuts you use in you Pesto recipe) 1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar reduction – Optional (See recipe on website) 1 carrot, cut into thin shreds using the finest comb on a Ben Riner fixed blade slicer, put into ice water
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 450°F.
Cover a large sheet pan with foil and coat it with a good slick of oil.
Coat the cauliflower slabs with a thorough coating of oil. If you have a sprayer for oil, this would be a good time to use it. Ensure the slabs are well coated.
Season the cauliflower slabs with salt and pepper.
Place slabs on the sheet pan so they are flat and have space between them so they roast rather than steam, which will yield pale mushy results.
Place in the lower third of the oven and roast 10 minutes. Check that the cauliflower is turning golden and getting crisp, but not burning. The cauliflower should be getting tender as well. Either turn the slabs with a thin bladed spatula and return to the same location, or move the tray to the top shelf and continue cooking until both sides are browned. If moving the tray to the top shelf, you can turn up the heat to 450-475°F. Cook until slabs are browned, even blistering, and tender. Just avoid burning or cooking until the slabs are soft. Tender. Yes. Soft? No.
While cauliflower is roasting, drain the carrot shreds and roll in a paper towel and dry thoroughly. Toss with enough pesto to coat. Keep cool and reserve.
Once the cauliflower is done, remove to plates or platter. Spoon a generous line of pesto down center of the slabs and the top with little piles of the pesto coated carrot shreds. Scatter with the nuts. Dot the plate and slabs with drops of Balsamic vinegar reduction.
Serve right away.
Chef’s Notes:
If you wish, omit the carrot shreds and balsamic vinegar reduction; the dish will still be fine. For variations, you could add toasted bread-crumbs. To make this more substantial and gussy it up, add cooked beans such as cannellini or chickpeas when you plate up.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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