Cauliflower has been showing up in a lot of recipes of late – even right here on this blog – from my own Ciao Piccolo to ‘bread sticks‘ to soup, to smashed like potatoes to a pretty darned tasty gratin; so why not turn it into a lightly pickled salad or relish for munchie platters or to spoon over chicken or fish?
Yeh, cauliflower can do ALL that, who woulda thunk it?
I certainly didn’t, when I saved this recipe from the Tribune in August, 2011.
In truth, this recipe is a bit like my Ciao Piccolo, but without some of the extra veggies and with a bit more pickling liquid. Fell free to add a few sliced jalapeños or whatever else you feel like to jazz this dish up, tho’ it is quite nice just as it is.
INGREDIENTS
•1 medium head cauliflower
•3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•5 or 6 cloves roasted garlic, coarsely chopped
•1/2 tsp turmeric
•1/8 tsp cumin
•1 tbsp sugar
•1/3 cup white wine vinegar
•1/2 tsp thyme
•1 tbsp capers
•1 tbsp caper brine
•Pinch pink sea salt
•Pinch Aleppo pepper
Separate the cauliflower into florets, then cut into small-ish pieces and toss with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle with the turmeric, cumin, and half of the chopped roasted garlic and sauté until the cauliflower is lightly browned, but still a bit crunchy.
Stir in the vinegar, remaining garlic, and thyme, then lower the heat and stir for three minutes to mellow the vinegar.
Remove from heat and stir in the capers, caper juice, salt and Aleppo pepper to taste.
No Aleppo? No worries! Try a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, but just a pinch – they are a lot hotter than Aleppo.
Serve immediately, or let cool, then transfer to a container, cover, and stash in the fridge. Bring up to cool room temperature before serving.
I served this as part of an afternoon anti pasti assortment and it was pretty popular, tho’ I do have leftovers.
Which, hmmm, should be nice over a bit of roast chicken…