The Rainbow Connection

This is about the time of year when my oven goes into overdrive. As the weather gets colder and I happily bring the oven back into the fold, I sometimes manage to cook an entire meal right in the oven, without ever turning on the stove top. The other day I roasted a whole chicken for an hour and during the last fifteen minutes of cooking chucked a tray of olive oil-coated brussels sprouts onto the top oven rack. It was such a low maintenance meal that I managed to fold laundry, reply to a few emails and watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother before the timer ever went off. 

But not all meals are quite that hands-off, which is why earlier this week I turned back to the oven for a little help. It's no secret that roasting vegetables is the way to go this time of year (unless you own a deep fryer and can make due with all the calories), and I'm a big advocate of roasting…well, just about everything. It uses less oil than frying but still gives you great flavor. And as far as I'm concerned, the more dark and crunchy bits there are, the better, which is why I roast veggies in a super high oven (400-450 degrees). Classically over-cooked vegetables like brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli are especially tasty done this way, the idea being to maximize the color (i.e. flavor) on the outside, while making sure the inside is just barely cooked. 

If you're looking for a super fast dinner that will encourage the kids (and maybe a spouse or two) to eat their veggies, try making rainbow cauliflower. Aside from the common white variety there's purple, yellow and beautiful spiky green romanesco, and they all taste great (and you get a ton of vitamin C, to boot). I like to buy a small head of each and roast them together for a beautiful side dish that goes well with any protein. I served mine with gorgeous seared sea scallops that only took a minute and a half to cook on each side. Altogether the meal was healthy, fast and delicious. At under half an hour to prepare, this meal is a stunner, and helps you catch up on your veggies (just don't tell everyone else at the table). 

Seared Sea Scallops with Roasted Rainbow Cauliflower

1 lb sea scallops

1 tsp smoked paprika, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided

3 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets (assorted colors if possible)

1 Tablespoon vegetable, canola or peanut oil

Extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat scallops dry and set aside on a paper towel lined plate or platter.

2. Toss cauliflower florets with 1/2 teaspoon of the smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp of the cayenne pepper, and extra virgin olive oil to coat (about 1 Tablespoon). Season with salt and pepper. Spread cauliflower onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until nicely browned and just crisp-tender.

3. Brush scallops with oil on one side and season with half of the cumin and half of the remaining paprika and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Add scallops seasoned and oiled side down. Brush top side with oil and remaining cumin, paprika and cayenne. Cook on each side until browned and crusted, about one minute per side. 

4. Serve scallops hot and topped with roasted cauliflower and a light drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

-Laura

Does Inspiration Equal Perspiration?

It's hard to admit in this time of vegetal abundance that I'm seriously lacking in culinary inspiration. The farmers markets are brimming with a Skittles variety of tomatoes, from nascent, unripe green ones to sweet ruby reds and all of the lovely yellow, orange and burgundy hues in between. Peppers are just as bright these days and available in varying degrees of size and heat. There's a fresh summer chili for every hothead out there, not to mention a sweet bell pepper in everything from green to red to purple. Eggplants are available in their well known deep purple color or with a winter white skin that renders them almost unrecognizable. Sweet summer corn is so plentiful it's nearly impossible to make it out of the market without feeling the crunch of discarded husks underfoot.

And yet as I meander from stall to stall, taking in the colors and smells of summer's bounty I find myself strangely without ideas. Perhaps I work best under pressure, when I'm forced to take winter's gnarly bits and turn them into something delicious. Maybe it's hard for me to see such wonderful produce and imagine doing anything but slicing it up as is and enjoying its natural flavor and texture. Whatever the reason, I've been suffering a crisis of conscience lately about my lack of passion for creative cooking. So after a nice walk through the market I decided to shop at random, picking up ingredients that are around in the summer, but that I often ignore. 

A lovely small head of cauliflower jumped out at me, as did some zucchini and green beans. After a little recipe researching for ideas I decided to take two of my ingredients, along with some summer squash from my Urban Organic delivery, and try out a nice, light Bon Appétit pasta dish. It married a combination of vegetables that would most likely not have come to mind (cauliflower, zucchini and summer squash) and threw in a little orecchiette along with great homemade croutons for extra crunch, and some anchovies for salty punch. I ended up deviating from the recipe (as usual) because it was coming off a tad bland, but all in all it was really tasty and even made a decent pasta salad the next day. It's definitely worth trying, especially if you want to sneak a ton of vegetables into your dinner, or you're just looking for a light summer dish. I almost doubled some of the ingredients to punch up the flavor in the sauce (more anchovies, more cheese, more olive oil) and added some herbs and spices to the croutons for the same reason. Check out my adapted recipe below and never fear: it doesn't taste like anchovies, just salty, cheesy goodness.

Orecchiette With Cauliflower, Anchovies And Fried Croutons

adapted from Bon Appétit

1 large head of cauliflower (28 to 30 ounces), trimmed, cut into 1-inch florets
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound orecchiette or medium-size shell pasta
1 1/2 cups cubed crusty country-style bread
3 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/3-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
10 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

salt

pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss cauliflower florets with 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cauliflower florets are tender and beginning to brown in spots, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of boiling, generously salted water to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large deep nonstick skillet or large pot over medium-high heat. Add bread cubes and sauté until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and toss with parsley, salt and pepper and cool. Reserve skillet or pot. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water before draining pasta.

3. While pasta cooks, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same skillet or pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic and sauté until zucchini is golden brown and crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cauliflower and anchovies and sauté until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add drained pasta, reserved 1 1/3 cups pasta cooking liquid, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup parsley, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano cheese and toss to coat. Season pasta to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve topped with fried croutons, remaining parsley, and additional Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

-Laura

Where Cauliflower Is King

There was once a time when I ran with a great deal of fear in my heart from anything that was edible and purple. I once detailed on this very blog the many instances where I was paralyzed with fear at the mere site of a beet or purple potato, from the early years of my fear (salad bar at The Sizzler!) to the height of my purple nightmare (a vegan roommate and her purple stew!), and finally, how I managed to conquer the fear (roasted beet salad!). As a result, I went on a purple food rampage. First came the purple potatoes, which still had to prove their worth, followed by purple beans. After a brief pause to give other rainbow hued dishes a chance, I've once again revisited the purple genre of food.

It began during my first fall inflected visit to the farmer's market, when I found the last two remaining bunches of purple and orange cauliflower. I was instantly thrown back into my purple gastonomic reverie as I hightailed it to the front of the line to pay, pretending not to see the elderly woman also reaching for the colorful cauliflower. I was in such a hurry in fact, that I didn't even stop to consider that I rarely eat and don't even really love cauliflower all that much. Suddenly facing the fact that I'd very nearly tackled an old lady out of the way to obtain an ingredient I wasn't even that crazy about, I vowed to do right by my cauliflower and the disappointed 80 year-old soul I'd likely left behind. So, after some very specific research, I came up with the perfect recipe to showcase such a beautiful ingredient.


Since I'd chosen to use colored cauliflower instead of the more prevalent white, I wanted to do something that showcased their lovely contrasting colors instead of hiding them. The orange variety contains 25 times the amount of vitamin A that white cauliflower does, so much like the purple variety, which is chock full of the same antioxidants found in red cabbage and red wine, it does a body good. I first considered oven roasting or blanching the cauliflower and maybe tossing it with a dressing or some bechamel sauce, but in the end wanted something that contrasted with its naturally sweet, mild and almost nutty flavor. A week later I had a quick and easy recipe with a slightly acidic kick from fresh lemon juice and Dijon mustard, and a sweet undercurrent of flavor from caramelized shallots and reduced balsamic vinegar. A light coating of toasted, seasoned breadcrumbs added a bit of crunch and texture to the whole dish, which turned out great. I initially worried that the dark balsamic vinegar might overpower the bright colors of the cauliflower, but it instead reduced and lightly coated it and the shallots. Here's the final recipe, which is definitely a keeper, and a great fall side dish.


Cauliflower with Balsamic Vinegar and Shallots

2 small heads of cauliflower (or 1 large), cut into small florets
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp dried, seasoned breadcrumbs (you can season them yourself, too)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp butter
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
salt
white ground pepper

1. Toast breadcrumbs in a 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Set aside.

2. Add remaining oil to skillet along with shallots and cook on medium heat until golden. Add remaining ingredients (not including breadcrumbs) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on medium-low heat until cauliflower softens to a tender-crisp and liquid is reduced.

3. Remove from the heat and toss with half of the breadcrumbs. Plate and top with remaining breadcrumbs. Enjoy!

-Laura