It’s been said the advantage of roasting cauliflower is that if all else fails, you can always cover it with melted cheese and eat it.
Just about everything in the produce section is a candidate for roasting these days. Potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, eggplant, kale, carrots. You name it. At this moment, as I write, I have cauliflower and chickpeas roasting in the oven. They’ve been rubbed in oil and seasonings and are destined to gather more flavor with a mustard vinaigrette.
Makings for the mustard vinaigrette dressing
Vegetables I once boiled, or fried, or cooked in a casserole, I more often roast. The secret to roasting is using a high temperature and long cooking time. My tray of cauliflower is in a 400-degree oven now and will be there for 45 minutes, though I use a 425-degree setting for roasting root vegetables. I’ve also learned to use parchment paper to line the cooking trays, which makes clean up a breeze.
Allowing space between pieces on the tray helps prevent steaming and encourages browning. But I tend to squeeze in too many vegetables as I did in this photo. When that happens, it’s best to use two trays, which I finally did.
After 45 minutes in the oven, the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas are ready for the mustard vinaigrette.
Tom and Lisa (son/daughter-in-law) were elated by this recipe they found in their cookbook It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow. I love it when I get a recipe from my kids, because I know it’ll be healthy and good. Lisa had lots of stars penciled in at the top of this one. So I photographed the recipe with my iPhone, but later found it on line as well. I always make a recipe as written the first time, but the next time—and there’ll definitely be a next time for this one—I’ll add roasted onions, as does Guy Fieri.
Others on line who made the recipe offered a few suggestions worth noting. Include some Israeli pearl couscous (the larger variety; 1/2 cup, dry and cooked) and add the chickpeas later in the roasting process.
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
3 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse sea salt
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. seeded mustard (i.e., grainy mustard)
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Toss chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with 3 Tbs. olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until everything is brownish and the cauliflower is quite soft, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together mustards, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil with a big pinch of salt and a few healthy grinds of black pepper. While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
