Roasted whole cauliflower with garlic and mustard seeds

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 large Cauliflower, about 2-1/2 to 3 pounds
3 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Minced garlic
1 teaspoon Mustard seed
Fresh cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon Salt, or less
Kale leaves, for serving
1 tablespoon Chopped parsley, or chopped chives
8 Lemon wedges

Directions

Leave the stalk on the head of cauliflower but trim away the leaves; trim away woody stem, making sure florets stay intact. Rinse cauliflower; let drain; blot dry with paper towels.

Next, use foil to make a 'stand and bib' for the cauliflower: Cut off enough foil to make a square sheet; use a baking sheet or shall pan and put the foil on it; place cauliflower in center and crimp foil to hug base of cauliflower.

Combine oil and garlic. Gently warm on stove top or in microwave oven until fragrant, but garlic should not brown. Strain oil through fine sieve, pressing on garlic to get all oil. Discard garlic. Stir mustard seeds and cracked pepper (as much as you like) in oil. (We did not strain; we like garlic and left it in the oil.) Set oven to 375F degrees.

Paint the head of the cauliflower: spoon warm oil mixture as evenly as possible, or use a brush. Sprinkle evenly with salt to taste. Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake until just tender (test center core with tip of sharp paring knife), about 1½ hours. (It will brown nicely; if it looks dry, that's okay.)

Can be made 1 day ahead, cooled and refrigerated, wrapped airtight. Let come to room temperature before using. Place in microwaveable dish. Reheat in microwave oven on high power [100%] until hot, 4 to 6 minutes.) To serve, place head in center of round platter layered with kale leaves.

Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot in pie-shaped wedges, garnished with lemon wedges.

Generally makes 6 servings. Each serving contains about: 75 calories; 165 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.01 grams fiber. A Special Dinner Vegetable Idea from: Abby Mandel / "I'll Bring the Veggies" in LA Times' Good Cooking Section (22 Dec 96). "The whole cauliflower makes a spectacular presentation and serves up nicely in wedges." This was given to me by a friend; and now I'm passing it along. We made a half-recipe; served it with a Chicken Breast Fillet with an Orange-Thai Sauce; and those dark (artifically) green petite beans.

Recipe by: Abby Mandel (special to the LA Times) 1996 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #389 by PATh <phannema@...> on Jan 25, 1997.

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