Wednesday, March 26, 2014

roasted cauliflower, radishes & olives



Hiiiiiii! Yeah, I'm not performing very well as a blogger lately. Maybe this 10 year blogiversary is too much pressure? Pshhhh. Don't worry. I've still been cooking, still at least THINKING about the blog. I haven't forgot about ya'll, trust me. Life, though, you know? Exciting things have been happening. For one thing, I'm planning a trip to Taiwan. Remember when my guy did a guest post about all the best food in Taiwan? Well I get to go try it!!! To say I'm stoked is an understatement.

Other exciting news... my good friends' opened a restaurant! It was really cool to be a part of the process (they let me design the logo!), and to see the behind-the-scenes of the restaurant world. The place is called Three Flags Tavern, and I've been a couple times already and the food and service is EXCELLENT. You should go. Yes, I'm a bit biased, but seriously. Go.

I finally got to cook something new and fun tonight (like I said, I've been cooking, but it's been more learning/trials/honing my skillz stuff) that I can share! This started a couple of ways... first, I was listening to America's Test Kitchen's podcast and they had a way to roast vegetables that was, in true ATK fashion, pretty brilliant.



They microwaved the veggies first, to get them tender, then put them on a hot sheet pan in a hot oven to brown and get gorgeous. The next inspiration is that Spring is trying SO HARD to peek it's head into this never ending winter, and with spring brings one of my favorite vegetables: radishes. I had some roasted radishes at Quincy Street Bistro(GO THERE STAT!) this week, and I loved the richness of them... so different than a fresh crisp peppery fresh radish.

I'm rambling because It's been TOO DAMN LONG. Anyway, on to the recipe *shakes off rust and dust*.



Roasted Cauliflower, Radishes and Olives
-1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
-1 lb. radishes, cut in half
-leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs
-salt and pepper
-1 Tablespoon butter, melted
-2 Tablespoons olive oil
-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
-1 cup green olives
-zest from 1 lemon
-course sea salt to taste
-olive oil and lemon juice to serve 
Preheat oven to 425ºF with 1 large or 2 small/medium sheet pans IN the oven. 
Meanwhile, put the radishes, cauliflower, salt and pepper and rosemary in a large microwave-save bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Stir and microwave another 3-4 minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander with the olives. Put everything back in the bowl and toss with the butter, garlic, olive oil and sea salt.  
Carefully pour the mixture onto the hot sheet pan/pans and roast for 25 minutes. Stir and cook another 15 minutes. Serve with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and crusty bread, or as a side dish.