Sunday night dinner was up to me last weekend and we love cauliflower at my house so this recipe stood out to me as the perfect side as I was poking around on Food52! This dish's most striking feature is the vibrant yellow of the cauliflower, which is tossed in turmeric to give it a roasted yellow color. The turmeric adds both color and flavor and is paired perfectly with the sour touch of the lemon and the sweetness of the dates.
My main takeaway from this recipe would be to quarter the dates rather than just cut them in half. It is important to be able to get all of the flavors in one bite, especially when they complement each other so nicely as is the case with this cauliflower dish. This was hard to do because the cauliflower florets greatly outnumbered the date halves, and the dates were a bit too overwhelming as such large chunks - an easy fix!
Before making this recipe, I was slightly thrown off by the pistachio gremolata and was unsure about what gremolata even is. With some quick research, I am here to inform you, if you were unsure like myself, that it is a parsley based paste, in this case made with pistachios, lemon zest, parsley, pomegranate arils, Aleppo pepper and a pinch of salt. We were not able to find the pomegranate arils, and though they would have added another level of flavor and texture to this seasoning, we survived without. According to SPICEography, a website dedicated to spices, gremolata is used often in Italian cooking. Its traditional use is as a seasoning for osso bucco alla Milanese, which is a famous Milanese dish featuring braised lamb shanks. Who knows, maybe that will be my next cooking adventure!
Yields: 4 servings Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients ~
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh turmeric (from about three 3-inch pieces), or 1 teaspoon ground (or as needed to fully coat the florets)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
6 to 8 dates, such as Medjool, pitted and halved (or quartered if large)
1 large lemon (finely grated zest plus juice)
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, raw and unsalted are ideal but roasted work too
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or to taste (I used black pepper)
Instructions ~
Heat oven to 425°F.
Toss the cauliflower with the turmeric and olive oil on a sheet pan, season with salt, and arrange in a single, even layer. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Add the dates, toss everything together, and redistribute in a single, even layer. Continue roasting until the cauliflower is nicely browned and tender, and the dates and little bits of grated turmeric are starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes more. Remove pan from oven, and squeeze half a lemon (zest it first—you'll need it for the gremolata in Step 3!) over the whole dish; add more lemon juice and salt, to taste.
Meanwhile, to make the pistachio gremolata: Toast the pistachios in a small skillet over medium heat, until they’re fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and when cool enough, chop them into fine yet irregular pieces with a knife. In a small bowl, toss together the pistachios, lemon zest, parsley, pomegranate arils, and Aleppo pepper; season with a pinch of salt.
Arrange the cauliflower and dates on a large serving platter, and scatter the pistachio gremolata over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe From: Emily C at Food52
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