Charred Cauliflower with Toasted Bread Crumbs, Cornichons and Parsley

By á-50454

Jimmy Bannos Jr. of The Purple Pig in Chicago sears cauliflower with just a touch of olive oil to achieve a deep char and bring out the vegetable's nutty flavors. To finish the simple side dish, he tosses the cauliflower with lemon juice, parsley, briny cornichons and a handful of toasted bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 2 cups torn rustic white bread
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 head white cauliflower or romanesco, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sliced cornichons
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from tastingtable.com

Preparation

Step 1

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Pulse the bread in a food processor until it's coarsely ground. On a sheet pan, toss the bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toast them in the oven, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and let cool.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, then season it with salt and pepper. Note: Don't worry if some pieces are bigger than others.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, sear the cauliflower until the florets are caramelized on both sides but not mushy, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. In a clean bowl, toss the charred cauliflower with the lemon juice, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cornichons and parsley. Transfer to a platter, top with ¼ cup of the toasted bread crumbs and serve.