I thought I was a frickin’ genius…
And then I googled “my” brilliance and discovered 719,000 like-minded geniuses.
We all pan roasted cauliflower with some combination of anchovy, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
The idea came to me at the intersection of eating char-grilled broccoli with anchovy paste at a local Japanese robata restaurant and reading a recipe for Anchovy Carbonara (my version of which I’ll share very soon). With cauliflower on the counter and a half full jar of anchovies in the fridge…this dish, unique or not, is OUTSTANDING.
Now, since you have half a head of cauliflower leftover…
You do have that other half from the cauliflower/ricotta/egg yolk ravioli you rushed to the kitchen to make, right?
Since you have half a head of cauliflower…
Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Anchovy and Garlic
serves 2-4
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small bite-size florets
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper
chopped parsley or chives for garnish
Directions
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Drop cauliflower in for 2 minutes to blanch. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant (but do not let brown too much, if at all). It will take about 5 minutes.
Add anchovies and stir into olive oil and garlic until “melted” in, another 2 minutes.
Add blanched cauliflower, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat cauliflower with garlic and anchovy olive oil. Continue to cook about 10 minutes until cauliflower softens.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley or chives if desired. (I desired, but didn’t have any.)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Uh…yum. Why am I not eating this RIGHT. NOW. ??? Oh, yeah–stupid work/career/office/responsibilites and whatnot.
The anchovy-cauliflower combo in fact goes way way back into antiquity. I have a recipe for cauliflower ears from The Frugal Gourmet which he attributes to ancient Sicilian grandmothers, and have seen the idea of using anchovies for sauce in several Apician recipes. So what you can say about it is, the idea is classic. It’s withstood the fall of Rome and the test of time.
It is an amazing combination isn’t it? ; )