A Simple Recipe

Sunday, December 7, 2014
Andrew and I a few months ago, meeting a local celebrity at a charity fundraiser.
Andrew is the one on the right.
Apparently, we're celebrating Andrew's birthday through a series of culinary mishaps.

First, I made some kind of miscalculation when I was baking the cake. Maybe I didn't bake it long enough, maybe I overmeasured the buttermilk or overbeat the batter. Either way, when I pulled the cake out of the oven, it had a thin rim around the edge and a sunken, volcanic middle that wasn't going to hold together long enough to be served.

Then, when my older daughter was baking a replacement cake, we reminisced about the story I related a couple of weeks ago, about how proud she was the first time I let her crack an egg by herself. It seems we were sufficiently awestruck by the story, that this time she cracked the egg over the floor instead of the bowl.

Finally, when we tried to pour Andrew's orange juice for his breakfast, we managed to spill it. Twice.

So will you forgive me if I want to keep the recipe simple today?

In fact, I'm posting one of the simplest I've made, and the tastiest. I loved this cauliflower when I made it, and can't wait to make it again. I know I post a lot of roasted vegetable recipes, and it's because I rarely come across a vegetable that I don't prefer roasted. This recipe is a perfect example. Cauliflower is fine when boiled, but roasted and served with an orange dressing, it is sublime.

In the meantime, we have one more meal to prepare before Andrew's birthday is over. Pray for us.



Quick-Roasted Cauliflower with Zesty Orange-Olive Dressing
(from Fast, Fresh and Green by Susie Middleton)

Roasted Cauliflower:
1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed into halved florets
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Orange-Olive Dressing
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and halved
2 pinches of red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp red-wine vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
salt, sugar and pepper to taste

Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil and salt, and arrange cut side down on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Roast in a 475 degree oven until the sides begin to brown, about twenty minutes.

To make the orange-olive dressing, warm the garlic in the olive oil in a small saucepan until very fragrant, about five minutes. Your goal is to flavour the oil, not to brown the garlic. Remove the garlic and stir in the red pepper, zest and olives. Remove the pan from heat, and stir in the remaining dressing ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the slightly cooled cauliflower in a bowl, and stir gently.

29 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

Maybe you should let Andrew to cook..since it's his birthday :-))
I too love cauliflowers...prepared at any method, but the roasting brings out its best flavour and quality.

Deb said...

Totally agree with you on the roasting of veggies...they are so much tastier roasted! This dressing sounds like a great topper too!

Bonnie said...

I do love roasted veggies. I bit of balsamic vinegar and oil....yum! I am keeping my fingers crossed all ends well!

Valerie Gamine said...

Cakes are so feisty, aren't they! :D
I love cauliflower!! This looks absolutely scrumptious. Happy Birthday, Andrew!!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

You are SO right about roasting vegetables. I only roast cauliflower..one taste and the other methods can't compare. The dressing sounds like an amazing addition!

Julie said...

Love that dressing! Yummy!

Kitchen mishaps, we all seem to have them. Mine are from not reading that recipe quite right.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Love the picture of you and Andrew. I'm definitely trying this recipe. Thanks.

Jemi Fraser said...

I had to bake 2 sets of cupcakes for my daughter a couple of weeks ago because I blew the first ones - you're not alone!
Love cauliflower and this sounds yummy!!

Barbara said...

Love the caption on the first photo, Beth! :)
I'm sure Andrew was a good sport about all the mishaps. There are just some days when nothing goes right in the kitchen. I'd give up and eat out!

Pam said...

Roasting veggies is my favorite way of cooking vegetables. This cauliflower looks and sounds wonderful.

Kathy said...

Roasted veggies are my favorite way to enjoy them! The cauliflower looks delicious and the dressing sounds lovely!

Monica said...

Oh my - good luck with the upcoming birthday meal. Sometimes mishaps happen in a row...can't quite explain it. Thank goodness for simple recipes and forgiving family. : )

Tandy | Lavender and Lime (http://tandysinclair.com) said...

I must try using orange the next time I cook cauliflower, and I agree, roasted is way better. Love the name of your blog Beth :)

Marcela said...

oh! This is soooo good! And... I have my birthday in the same day :P Was it 7 th Dec?

Anonymous said...

The cauliflower looks delicious, and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has culinary mishaps.

Beth said...

Yes, it was Marcela. Happy belated birthday!

amy (fearless homemaker) said...

We all have our kitchen mishaps - it sounds like you've had a couple in a row, eh? This simple cauliflower looks SO good - I absolutely love it roasted, and yours sounds awesome. Happy Birthday to your husband, and hope the remaining birthday meal is a huge success!

Robyn said...

Hi Beth,
This dish looks great - roasted cauliflower is truly fantastic. I just roasted some yesterday with an attempt at a healthy cheese sauce. Not bad, lol. Don't you love the kitchen fails? I have at least two a month.
So glad to discover your blog. I live just north of you in Barrie. Congratulations on your literary success - a great accomplishment!
I'll look forward to exploring your blog :)

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Beth:)
A couple of weeks agao I had quite the mishap with my Ugly Apple Cake which I posted about. There were so many comments left by others who have had their mishaps too. Indeed, you are not alone. Someone should start a mishap in the kitchen day, lol...AND, my grandkids and I have a joke when we "remember the time grammy cracked an egg on the kitchen floor." Giggling memories are some of the best, lol...

I never tire of any kind of roasted veggie especially cauliflower. Love the thought of orange dressing, now that's new to me!!!

Thank you so much for sharing, Beth...Fingers crossed for no more mishaps:)

Kitchen Riffs said...

I love roasted veggies! And cauliflower might be best of all -- even people who think they don't like cauliflower usually like roast cauliflower. Happy Birthday to Andrew!

Andrea_TheKitchenLioness said...

Beth, happy belated Birthday to your husband!
Roasting cauliflower is the best way to prepare it, no doubt!

Tricia Buice said...

Oh that orange dressing sounds wonderful. I am a fan!

Kittie Howard said...

Beth, happy belated birthday greetings to your husband. (Love your dry sense of humor: Andrew is the one on the right.)

Another veggie freak here -- that orange dressing grabbed me!

We're in our NC home, finally. Don't want to move again! But we're off to Normandy again this coming summer. Can't wait to dive into those moulles!

Juliana said...

Orange and olive dressing just sounds fantastic Beth...
Happy Belated Birthday to your husband...enjoy the rest of your week :)

Joanne said...

Awww poor Andrew. Happy birthday to him! I love that even though this cauliflower recipe is simple, it still has pizzazz from that dressing!

grace said...

hope that last meal went okay! :)
this may be a simple recipe, but it sounds delicious to me--i'm LOVING cauliflower right now!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Happy belated birthday to your husband! :)
And I am sure you just ran into a slew of bad luck because this cauliflower looks so enticing!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl said...

Happy belated wishes to him! This is a yummy recipe, I can never say no to some roasted cauliflower! YUM.

Inger @ Art of Natural Living said...

Oh I so know the experience of multiple kitchen mishaps. Part of the reason I haven't posted a lot lately in fact ;-)

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