Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
The cauliflowers have been so beautiful lately that …
Oh wait. Am I really raving over how a vegetable looks?
It sounds funny, even as I am writing this, to talk about cauliflower and beauty in the same sentence. But there it is. When a cauliflower is fresh and the head is creamy white (unless it’s a green or purple cauliflower and then of course I would be saying green or purple) and the florets are compact and tight and the green leaves are crisp and moist looking, then yes. A cauliflower is beautiful.
I’ve bought a few in recent days.
They are as delicious as they are tasty. There is something wonderful about food that’s fresh, isn’t there? And fresh cauliflower is so easy to cook.
So I’ve been cooking with it.
My kids have been roasting vegetables at their house, so I roasted some cauliflower in mine. This dish was especially tasty because of the extra cheese added near the end; the cheese gives the vegetable a nice tang and some extra crispiness. But of course you can skip the cheese and just leave the lemony-roasted part and that’s good too.
Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
1 small head cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the green leaves at the bottom of the cauliflower and trim most of the fibrous stem attached to the head. Slice the head into 1/2-inch slices; rinse and dry the slices on paper towels. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and lemon peel in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower slices and toss to coat them completely. Place the cauliflower slices in a single layer on the parchment. Roast for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. Roast for another 20 minutes or until tender and crispy. Makes 4 servings