Cauliflower Antipasto

By LRay

From The Southern Palate, November 2014, page 54. From Tandy Wilson of City House in Nashville, TN

Photo by Andrea Behrends

Ingredients

• For the Antipasto
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
• Salt and pepper, as needed
• Olive oil
• 1/2 bunch kale, hand torn
• 1 lemon
• 30 little neck clams, scrubbed
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup wine
• Alici dressing (recipe follows)
• Bread crumbs*
• For the Alici Dressing
• 10 anchovy fillets
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 lemons
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from localpalatemag.com

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

For the Antipasto

Preheat broiler to high. Toss cauliflower with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil.

Place cauliflower on a cookie sheet and broil for 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until lightly charred. Set aside.

Place kale in a mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper, and juice of ½ the lemon. Toss in 2 tablespoons oil and set aside.

Place clams with ¼ cup olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Once clams start to spit a bit, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in wine and cover. Boil covered until clams have opened.

Stir cauliflower and kale in with clams. Toss with dressing, top with bread crumbs, and serve.

For the Alici Dressing

Place anchovy, garlic, and zest of 1 lemon in a small skillet. Cover with oil and place on high heat. Cook until it bubbles and is aromatic, then let cook for 1 minute while bubbling. Remove from heat and cool.

Stir in juice from both lemons, fish sauce, and ⅓ cup oil. Stir vigorously before each use.

*Wilson makes his bread crumbs for this dish by pulsing fresh bread in a food processor to desired crumb, then placing crumbs on a cookie sheet to dry in a 225-degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.He then places a sauté pan over medium heat, adding enough olive oil to lightly coat crumbs and seasoning with salt. He stirs and tosses continuously until crumbs are a deep golden brown.