Capona(Tina)

When I go to Otto and I'm not in the pizza mood, I'll order a bunch of antipasti. My faves are the caponata, cauliflower, and lentils. Somehow I managed to make them look and taste quite similar to the restaurant version...at home! Truth be told, I made these all weeks ago, but the Breaking Bad finale clearly threw me off my blogging game. Or that's the convenient excuse I'm going with.

Caponata is a Sicilian cooked eggplant salad with a distinct sweet and sour flavor profile called agrodolce. Typically the agro (sour) part comes from vinegar and the dolce (sweet) part from sugar. There are also several variations that may or may not include celery, capers, olives, pine nuts, raisins, or currants. I like a variety of textures so threw in most of the options except for the raisins. Because they are gross. I used Mario Batali's recipe as a base and was surprised to find a touch of cocoa powder. The balsamic vinegar also adds a bit more richness than a red wine vinegar, which is often called for in recipes. I was super happy with the way mine turned out. 

The cauliflower here is simply roasted with some distinctive flavors added in at the end. Mario torches his under the broiler, 4-inches from the flame, but I have a crappy rental apartment oven so...yeah. Roasting seemed like a better idea. This a great way to try cauliflower especially if you are not a fan, possibly because you grew up on plain frozen florets or plain raw florets dunked into ranch dressing on a veggie tray. Not that I know anything about that.

Eggplant Caponata

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, diced

2 celery ribs, diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1⁄2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste 

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 1⁄4 pounds each)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chopped green olives

2 tablespoons capers, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, pine nuts, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until the onion is translucent. 

2. Add the eggplant, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder, and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, olives, and capers and bring to a boil. 

3. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for 5 minutes more, or until the mixture has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool and serve at room temperature. It's best made one day ahead to let the flavors develop. Will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Serves 8.

Cauliflower with Olives and Capers

1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed, cored, and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Maldon or other flaky sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives (or other favorite olive)
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1½ teaspoons hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
3 tablespoons lemon agrumato oil, or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil in a large bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Spread out in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, for 30 - 40 minutes, or until lightly charred in spots and just tender.

2. Return the cauliflower to the bowl, add the olives, capers, red pepper flakes, if using, and lemon oil, and toss to mix well. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve, or let stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour to bring out the flavors. Serves 6.

Resolution Revolution

I'm shockingly still on my veggie kick. It's been 3 whole days! Zucchini on Monday, French Fries on Tuesday (that counts, right?), and Cauliflower on Wednesday. (No, it's not a resolution. Maybe a revolution?) I've found some great veg recipes in The NY Times in the last couple of weeks and I'm totally psyched to have found this salad recipe since I can't ever think of anything to do with cauliflower. This salad is super delicious and filling, not necessarily your typical salad description. Just wait until tomorrow when I combine jicama, parsnips, and celeriac! Or not.



Roasted Cauliflower Salad
(Adapted from The New York Times)

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
2/3 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
5 ounces baby arugula, spinach, or watercress
1/4 pound Gruyere, Manchego or Sharp Cheddar, diced or grated (about 1 cup)

1. Heat the oven to 425˚F. In a large bowl, toss together the cauliflower, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and dark golden, 20 minutes. Add the walnuts to the cauliflower and roast together 5 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar with the remaining salt and pepper, and then whisk in the remaining oil.

3. In a salad bowl, toss the greens, cheese, nuts, and warm cauliflower. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss until well combined. Serves 4.

Get Your Daily Dose

What do you make with a head of cauliflower? Seriously. I mean, I know that I like it well enough, and have eaten it in the past, but I can't think of a single preparation. It's often relegated to a position between the carrot sticks and broccoli florets on super lame crudites platters, sitting next to a bowl of sour cream dip flavored with...something. Ack. Should I cook and puree it like mashed potatoes? Roast it? Smother it in hollandaise? Make aloo gobi? Yeah, right. I'll be ordering that for delivery from my favorite Indian restaurant.

I never realized that I had absolutely no idea what to do with a whole head of cauliflower until I was staring at one, wondering why I thought it was a good purchase. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've been eating cauliflower my whole life, but I can't actually pinpoint a single recipe. As a kid I ate it as a frozen vegetable that was heated up and served with melted butter. Butter makes everything better, but there must be a more substantial way to serve it.

After a little internet research I decided to try a recipe that I found on Food & Wine's website. It looked pretty painless and more importantly, flavorful, as cauliflower has a delicate (read: little to no) flavor. Cauliflower and pasta alone would be pretty lackluster, but add garlic cream, prosciutto, and Parmesan and we're talking! It's kind of like a healthy mac and cheese (kinda sorta?) except that you don't have to turn on the oven. (The broiler isn't the oven, really.) And...there might be some heavy cream. But you will get almost your entire daily dose of Vitamin C. See? Healthy!

Rigatoni with Cauliflower, Prosciutto, and Parmesan
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound whole wheat (or regular) rigatoni
One (1 1/2-pound) head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch-thick ribbons
Chopped fresh parsley, optional

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Cook the rigatoni until al dente, but add the cauliflower florets to the same pot after 4 minutes, then continue cooking with the pasta for an additional 4 -5 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat the broiler. Return the cooked rigatoni and cauliflower to the pot over low heat. Add the garlic cream, the prosciutto, and the reserved pasta water and toss until the pasta is coated, 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour the pasta mixture into a large shallow baking dish, spreading evenly, and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top. Broil for about 2 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the topping is evenly browned. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve immediately. Serves 4 - 6.