Author Notes: Roasting the cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness, and the bits that turn dark brown are irresistible. Topped with crispy panko swirled with fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, this cauliflower is a lovely side dish—even for people who think they don’t like the knobby white veggie. – TheThinChef —TheThinChef
Food52 Review: Before TheThinChef came along, roasted cauliflower and gremolata happily co-existed, never feeling any need to mingle. But now that we’ve tasted them together, they’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other in our kitchens. The lemon and garlic scented panko add snap and complexity to the sweet, caramelized cauliflower — and together you have a side dish that you could easily double or triple for a large party, and even make ahead. In fact, we like this best at room temperature, which has an added benefit: if you wait until the cauliflower is cool to sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, they’ll stay good and crisp! – A&M —The Editors
Serves: 6
Ingredients
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2
large heads cauliflower
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1/4
cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1/2
teaspoon coarse salt, divided
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1/4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/2
cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
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Zest of 1 lemon
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2
cloves garlic, finely minced
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2
tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. Place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine.
- Spread cauliflower out on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets. Roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. Add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. Set aside.
- Remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. Top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.
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Cauliflower, parsley, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and panko.
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Cutting the cauliflower into florets.
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Merrill showed us her trick — she quarters the cauliflower, then cuts out the "spine," making it easy to break into florets.
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Adding oil to the cauliflower — there's just enough to barely coat it and this makes for nicely roasted cauliflower that's not weighed down by too much oil.
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Spreading the cauliflower on a parchment-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up, but also because Amanda's baking sheet is a mess).
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Toasting the panko in olive oil with salt.
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Toasted! Time to add the chopped garlic and lemon zest.
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Parsley waits on the sidelines — it went in after the breadcrumbs cooled.
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The cauliflower, roasted.
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Time to top the perfectly-roasted cauliflower with the gremolata.
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Ta-da!
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