Roasted Cauliflower with Mushroom Sauce

Here’s another tasty way to prepare Cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Head cauliflower
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp thyme
Pepper to taste
Part II
1-1/2 cups cremini mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp shallots
White wine
Pepper
Rosemary sprigs

PREPARATION:

Wash the cauliflower and separate it into split florets, pat dry. Press the garlic with a press. Wash the rosemary, remove the leaves from stalk and chop finely. Place the oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme and pepper in a bowl, stir to mix. Add the florets and mix to coat getting it into the crevices.

Wash and slice the mushrooms, pat dry. Peel and finely minced the shallot
Preheat the oven to 350 deg.

COOKING:

Spread florets on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes at 350 deg. and brown an additional 15 min at 425 deg. or until edges brown.

Part II Mushroom Sauce:
While the florets are baking, heat the oil and butter on medium-low heat in large skillet. Add mushrooms and shallot. Sauté mushrooms until dark and tender, and add a splash of white wine and a sprinkle of pepper to taste. Pour over the roasted cauliflower, garnish with rosemary sprigs and serve.

Cauliflower with Brown Butter Sauce

Here’s an interesting twist on a usually bland vegetable.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cauliflower head, about 3/4 pound
1 Tbsp butter
1 lemon (small)
1 Tbsp parsley

PREPARATION:

Wash the cauliflower head and cut away anything but the florets. Turn head over; remove the center stalk leaving enough to keep it whole.
Using a grater, remove the zest from the lemon, then cut it in half and juice it with a juicer. Wash and finely chop parsley.

COOKING:

Add about 1 cup of water to a steamer. Put the head in the upper part or in the “basket” and steam checking for doneness with a paring knife. It’s done when there is a small amount of resistance to the knife - 5 to 10 minutes should do it. Remove immediately as it will keep cooking. Place it in a serving dish right side up and cover with foil.

As the cauliflower is steaming, melt the butter in a small saucepan slowly heating until it begins to brown. Stay with it as it happens quickly – Don’t let it burn! Add the lemon juice, zest and parsley to the pan, over very low heat to combine; Spoon sauce over the cauliflower.

Serve whole in a dish along with a knife to slice it into quarters. A little stemmed parsley as a garnish adds a nice touch.