I always wanted to cook a whole cauliflower after reading about the possibility online.
Alon Shaya from the Domenica Restaurant in New Orleans first did this; this is my take on his recipe.
The idea is that you simmer the cauliflower gently in water, to which you might add a few things to impart extra flavour, then drain it and carefully transfer it to roasting pan, and finish it in the oven, where it browns and develops a delicious nutty flavour.
Whole Roast Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 1.5 cups white wine
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 whole cauliflower, outer leaves cut off
Method
- Preheat the oven to 250°C.
- Bring the first nine ingredients to a boil in a large pot.
- Lower in the cauliflower, turn the heat down, and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into centre, which should take 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully lift the cauliflower out into a roasting dish and mop up any juice.
- Roast until brown all over, approx. 30-40 minutes. Turn the dish round if the browning is uneven.
- Take out of the oven and serve whilst hot.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag #coromandelflavour – I love to see what you’ve been making and any feedback is really welcome.
Recipe source: nola.com with minor changes.