This recipe, or a variation of it, has become a popular dish in many Israeli kitchens. The person, who made it so familiar to everyone, is the renowned chef Eyal Shani who serves it in his restaurants. This cauliflower is buttery soft (yet not mushy) on the inside, with a crunchy, salty, slightly burnt surface. It is a real joy and kids just LOVE it. I deviated slightly from the original recipe to create a simpler and quicker version that is as good as the one served in Eyal Shani’s restaurants.
Ingredients:
1 small to medium cauliflower. For a crunchier result use a small cauliflower with a better inside\surface ratio(pure geometry 🙂 )
Olive oil
Salt – I prefer grey sea salt. It has better taste and texture.
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 450F (230C).
2. Rinse the cauliflower thoroughly and remove any “black/grey spots”. Leave the outer leaves intact.
3. Cut the base of the cauliflower so it can stand on its base.
4.Place the whole cauliflower, standing on its base, in a pot big enough to accommodate it, with 1 inch (2.5cm) of water and 2 tsp of salt. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
5. Lower to medium heat and steam for exactly 10 minutes.
6.Take the cauliflower out of the pot and place on a cutting board (since it is very hot, at this point, I find that lifting it by squeezing it between two large wooden spoons works the best)
7.Pour some olive oil into your palms and massage the cauliflower’s surface until it is coated with a thin layer of the oil. Make sure to rub the outer leaves as well – this way they too will turn out yummy!
8. Put some grey sea salt in your palmsand rub it in slightly on the cauliflower’s surface.
9.Place the cauliflower in the center of a baking pan lined with aluminum foil, and bake for about 45 minutes.
The cauliflower will first turn yellow, than slightly brown, and when you begin to see parts that are slightly burnt (black), it is time to take it out of the oven.
Serve as a side dish. You can quarter it, if you like, before serving.
It is eaten as is, but would go well with a bit ofolive oil and salt and/or tahini and/orlemon juice and/orspicy jam of lemonsand/orsome chopped cilantro or parsley.
Printable recipe:
5.0 from 1 reviews
A Whole Baked, Melt-in-Your-Mouth, Cauliflower Recipe
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
1 small to medium cauliflower. For a crunchier result use a small cauliflower with a better inside\surface ratio (pure geometry )
Olive oil
Salt – I prefer grey sea salt. It has better taste and texture.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
Rinse the cauliflower thoroughly and remove any black/grey spots. Leave the outer leaves intact.
Cut the base of the cauliflower so it can stand on its base.
Place the whole cauliflower, standing on its base, in a pot big enough to accommodate it, with 1 inch (2.5cm) of water and 2 tsp of salt. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Lower to medium heat and steam for exactly 10 minutes.
Take the cauliflower out of the pot and place on a cutting board (since it is very hot, at this point, I find that lifting it by squeezing it between two large wooden spoons works the best)
Pour some olive oil into your palms and massage the cauliflower's surface until it is coated with a thin layer of the oil. Make sure to rub the outer leaves as well – this way they too will turn out yummy!
Put some grey sea salt in your palms and rub it in slightly on the cauliflower's surface.
Place the cauliflower in the center of a baking pan lined with aluminum foil, and bake for about 45 minutes.The cauliflower will first turn yellow, than slightly brown, and when you begin to see parts that are slightly burnt (black), it is time to take it out of the oven.
Serve as a side dish. You can quarter it, if you like, before serving.
It is eaten as is, but would go well with a bit of olive oil and salt and/or tahini and/or lemon juice and/or spicy jam of lemons and/or some chopped cilantro or parsley.
Have you roasted cauliflower before and it came out tough or mushy? A common problem is either roasting it at too low a temperature or stopping once the cauliflower is tender—both mean that the florets do not caramelize.
If you're not into cauliflower, try it roasted. It'll be on your veggie rotation in no time. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable responsible for helping to reduce risk of cancer due to it's special antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory effects, as well as it's high fiber content.
Don't worry. Purple cauliflower is not dyed. Its signature color comes from the same antioxidant found in red cabbage and red wine: anthocyanin. Sun exposure further exaggerates its effect on the cauliflower, resulting in bright purple heads.
If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.
Baking soda is often used as a natural cleaning agent, and it can be used to brighten up your veggies too. Sprinkle a little in the water before boiling to prevent cauliflower from yellowing and make corn look more vibrant.
Purple. Purple cauliflower is the healthiest option, with numerous advantages. The purple hue is due to the antioxidants called anthocyanins. These are the pigments present in various other plants and plant-based products, including red cabbage and red wine.
If your cauliflower has already turned purple on the edges, don't despair. It is perfectly safe to eat it either raw or cooked, although the flavor may be subtly different from the familiar white variety. Purple cauliflower has some added natural sweetness and is usually described as having a mild, sweet, nutty flavor.
It's the same change that occurs when the flesh of sliced apples turns brown, and when ground meat turns gray. The good news is that you can still cook with this cauliflower. While the discoloration doesn't look appealing, it's harmless as long as the spots haven't turned a dark color or have a mushy texture.
It's easy to cook, which gives it a creamier, nuttier taste that takes on the flavor of whatever you use as seasoning. How you cook cauliflower matters. You can keep more of its nutrients if you steam, roast, or stir-fry it.
Nutritionally, cauliflower is lighter in calories and carbs than potatoes and is more nutrient-dense. That's why it's popular among the low carb and weight loss communities.
But the impact heat can have on the nutritional value of cauliflower can vary depending on two main factors: How hot and for how long you cook it. “If it's at very high heat for a long time, more of the vitamin-soluble nutrients will be lost,” Ehsani says.
Undercooking It. Overcooking is bad, but undercooking cauliflower is an equally off-putting problem. "When making cauliflower steaks or roasting florets, if you don't roast it in the oven long enough it will be warm but still hard and unenjoyable to eat," says Michalczyk.
Leave plenty of space between the cauliflower florets to prevent steaming. Spacing the cauliflower florets too close together can make for mushy roasted cauliflower – not what you're going for! When in doubt, use two baking sheets.
Other telltale signs of spoilage for cauliflower include mold, off-smells, slimy texture, or soft spots. Per Does it Go Bad?, cauliflower is supposed to be firm to the touch. Once you see soft spots or examples of slimy texture, the cauliflower should definitely be thrown out.
Like all veggies, cauliflower needs some breathing room on the pan. Otherwise, the florets will produce so much steam that they'll never turn crisp on the edges. It's better to use two pans, arranged on separate racks near the middle of the oven, than to cram too much onto one pan.
Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804
Phone: +9958384818317
Job: IT Representative
Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging
Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
