Roasted Cauliflower with Soy-Ginger Sauce with Scallion

By ltruitt

Published January 1, 2007.
Serves 4 to 6.
Why this recipe works:

We wanted to add flavor to cauliflower without drowning it in a heavy blanket of cheese sauce, so we developed a roasted cauliflower recipe that gave us cauliflower with a golden exterior and a creamy interior. We discovered that steaming (in a covered sheet pan) followed by roasting produced nicely caramelized cauliflower with a creamy texture.

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• For Sauce
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 medium scallion , white and light green parts sliced thin

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions

1. For Cauliflower:Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves of cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom. Cut head into 8 equal wedges so that core and florets remain intact (see illustration). Place wedges cut side down on foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; gently rub to evenly distribute oil and seasonings. Gently flip cauliflower and season other cut side with 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of cauliflower pieces are golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove sheet from oven, and, using spatula, carefully flip wedges. Return sheet to oven and continue to roast until cauliflower is golden all over, 8 to 12 minutes longer.

3. For Sauce: While cauliflower roasts, heat vegetable oil in small skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy, mirin, vinegar, and water. Simmer until slightly syrupy, 4 to 6 minutes. Drizzle sauce and sesame oil over roasted cauliflower and garnish with scallions.

Technique

Bigger Than a Pencil

Cutting the cauliflower head from pole to pole into large wedges (about the length of a pencil) exposes more surface area to the hot sheet pan. And leaving the core intact makes it easy to flip the pieces halfway through the caramelization stage so that both sides gain a golden exterior.