Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest


     Yet another win for my new Martha Stewart cookbook—Meatless.  After such great luck with the beet galette that Steph & I made the other day, I decided to try a second recipe and see if it would be be as successful.  It was!  With every new recipe I try, it’s looking like I will need to make a little extra space on the shelf because this book is getting pretty close to making itself worthy of entry into my collection.  

     The recipe that I decided to attempt for my second go was Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest because I had a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator that needed to be used ASAP.  I searched through the index to find one that would be able to use it up.  I had almost everything on hand the was needed to prepare the meal and after a quick trip to the grocery, I was ready to go. 
     The actual preparation was pretty easy.  I was a little wary of pasta AND an entire head of cauliflower, as it seemed a bit much and I didn’t necessarily want to eat it--by myself-- for 12 meals straight.  But, ever the trooper, I forged ahead as the recipe instructed. This didn't end up being a problem in the end as there was not as much pasta used as I originally thought.  After reading the recipe again I realized that the main star of the dish was the cauliflower and pasta merely held a supporting role.  I roasted the capers, onions and cauliflower… easy.  Boil the pasta…really easy.  Mix all together…. CRAZY easy!!!  


     Moral of the story—other than the tedious chopping of the cauliflower, this is a delicious and easy recipe.  The only difference between my version of the recipe and Martha’s was that I gently modified by adding crushed red pepper flakes to the vegetables while roasting and I also added a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice as I thought a little extra tang was nice.  I seasoned well with freshly ground salt and black pepper.  Result?!?!  Mmmmm mmmm good!
     Not only was the initial meal great, but I thought the leftovers were outta this world good as well—I didn’t even mind eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner the following day.  Even Henri wanted some…

RECIPE LINK

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