Cookbooks
By Athena Calderone
5.0
(25)
Photo by Johnny Miller
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Roasted cauliflower has a nutty, sweet flavor that’s hard to resist. My son has eaten it two or three times a week since he was three years old—that’s a lot of cauliflower! To avoid a rut, I’ve added various flavors over the years, brightening the dish and spicing things up. The truth is, Jivan prefers the tried-and-true classic: EVOO, sea salt, and pepper. But for the grown-ups in my life, I’ve come up with this parsley, lemon zest, caper, and jalapeño combo. Just toss it with the cauliflower when it comes out of the oven—and don’t forget to put some plain florets aside for the little ones.
Ingredients
4–6 servings
1 head cauliflower, quartered, cored, and cut into bite-size florets
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 lemon
1 large handful fresh parsley (about 1/2 cup/25 g), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
Flaky sea salt, for serving
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast the cauliflower, tossing the florets halfway through, until they are deep golden and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes total.
Step 2
While the cauliflower is roasting, use a vegetable peeler to peel 3 strips of zest from the lemon. Cut each strip crosswise into very thin slices. Cut the lemon in half, reserving one half and storing the other for another use.
Step 3
Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a serving bowl. Top it with the parsley, capers, jalapeño, and sliced lemon zest. Squeeze the mixture with the lemon half and drizzle it with more oil. Toss to coat all of the ingredients, and sprinkle with a pinch or two of the flaky salt.
From Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderone, published by ABRAMS © 2017.Buy the full book from Amazon.
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Reviews (25)
Back to TopTriangleI have made this many times exactly as written and we love it! We have started adding pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese at the end! Amazing! We have also added fingerling potatoes cut in half with the cauliflower. Excellent!
ljta
San Diego
7/7/2021
This is has basically become the only way I make cauliflower now
rubengspaut
Brooklyn, NY
6/12/2021
I added smashed garlic cloves to roast along with the cauliflower. Didn't have a jalapeno but I sprinkled some red pepper flakes. It was perfect. I honestly don't know if I would care for the flavor of jalapeno with this flavor combo so the red pepper flakes were a nice way to get a little heat.
Anonymous
Seattle, WA
12/26/2020
Made this into a vegan main by adding sautéed chick peas (along with onion and garlic). Other than that, followed the recipe. I thought it might be too spicy with the whole jalapeno so I used half.... but it ended up not being spicy at all, so will use a whole one next time. Loved the fresh, tasty combination of flavors and will definitely be making this again. My husband raved.
rocklobster
Vermont
11/11/2020
Loved it! Used pickled jalapeños, didn’t have whole lemon so no rind, but had fresh juice. I didn’t add oil after cooking. So easy and adaptable. Will do this one again.
n2dzine2
Southwest Utah
5/15/2020
Good taste, skipped the jalapeños because I don't like spice, pretty easy and quick to make.
Denver, CO
5/10/2020
I don't love cauliflower, so I like choosing recipes that will challenge my tastes. This was really delicious. I made as is, but added some feta cheese (would no longer be vegan if you care). Some pickled red onion would be a nice addition too. Even the fussy teen ate it. Will make again.
Cook from Kamloops
Canada
4/14/2020
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except adding extra capers, chopped. The only thing I would do differently next time is double the recipe. This is a keeper!
Quispyme
Chicago, Illinois
12/18/2019
Love the flavors and the crispy, browned cauliflower. I made the recipe as is and wouldn't change a thing. Even my cauliflower-averse husband loved it.
Anonymous
California
11/3/2019
Can this be made ahead of time?
Cathcom
Ontario, Canada
9/11/2019
I loved this dish! I used a poblano pepper in lieu of a jalapeño otherwise followed recipe exactly. Bright and delicious.
bergmb1
Westborough, MA
3/31/2019
This was delicious. One head of cauliflower made 3 portions at most for me, so I'll have to use more next time. I zested the lemon on a zester - easier that way. The flavors went really nicely together. It paired well with a fried egg; toast would have been a good addition to the whole thing. I can imagine this for any mealtime - wonderful!
birgitlh
Philadelphia, PA
12/6/2018
Easy to make, and a crowd-pleaser at giant Thanksgiving dinner, where there was plenty to choose from.
tak2108
NYC
11/27/2018
This was delicious, easy & very filling. We served it over baby spinach topped with a few sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh chives, parsley & chiffonade of sorrel, since they were on hand. My husband is usually hungry after vegetarian dinner but not so tonight. We paired it with a green bean casserole & it was perfect. Cheers to fall!
jonesthing
New York, NY
11/27/2018
Delicious! I added some leftover sliced red onions to the baking sheet mix and everything came out beautifully.
tmunz
North Carolina
7/1/2018
TagsCauliflowerVegetableSideLunchDinnerVegetarianVeganKetoNut FreeGluten FreeDairy FreeRoastCookbooks
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