Last week and the week before I gave you my tips and tricks that help me pull off Thanksgiving Dinner so you are all set there, plus, you have your own. This week’s Marvelous Monday is a very easy side dish to add to your repoitoire of vegetables/side dishes for a later time. This one is very easy and leaves you with plenty of time to get your dinner ready once it’s in the oven. With little preparation you get this going and by the time it’s done, most likely, the rest of your dinner is ready to be served. However, before we go there, a last thought on Thanksgiving Dinner. I was talking with a yoga instructor friend of mine who told me that she doesn’t partake in the usual Thanksgiving Dinner as it upsets he stomach so much with her allergies and intolerances and she‘d just rather eat her usual salad and not have the upset stomach. She knows what works for her and any host or hostess should not be offended or put off if they have a guest who eats to satisfy their own unique needs. Again, remember, “the food is ALWAYS secondary to those around the table,” so no comments, verbal observations to make anyone feel anything but welcome in your home or around your table. For children, I always suggest, if there are no allergies or intolerances, “try new foods.” We would not ‘make’ our kids eat everything, but we at least made sure that they tried new and traditional foods. They would then decide which they liked or not and most times, they were pleasantly surprised and their culinary horizons were expanded. Checkout the last two Marvelous Monday posts, here on itsagreatdayto.com for more tips on Thanksgiving Dinner.
ROASTED WHOLE CAULIFLOWER
This is a newer technique (or at least to me) that I have seen on Instagram. Cauliflower is gaining more popularity, in the past it has rather been considered a bland vegetable selection. The merits of Cauliflower have been discovered, with Mashed Cauliflower being a popular side dish, to substitute for Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower Soup is more frequently seen on recipe searches. With lots of nutrients and mild enough for most any seasoning, it is a tasty and healthy option. Start with an unblemished and fresh looking head of Cauliflower. I usually choose organic unless the regular version looks more fresh. I wash it after the extra greens on the bottom have been removed. With room temperature unsalted butter, make a thick paste of the butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, some coarse salt, freshly ground pepper and a little cayenne pepper, with a fork. Place the cauliflower in a baking dish head up and bake for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees tenting the baking dish with foil. After the 45 minutes, take out, either baste the cauliflower with the melted butter liquid in the bottom of the baking dish or brush with a silicone baking brush. At this time I sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley. Bake an additional 10 minutes, now at 375 degrees, with cauliflower uncovered. Remove baking dish from oven and chop cauliflower into large flowerette pieces to serve. Any leftover cauliflower can be stored in the fridge to be used as a side dish for another dinner or lunch. YUM! This is a basic seasoning, you can get creative with your particular likes or favorite herbs. Do a search of roasted head of cauliflower and you are bound to find you favorite flavors, this is just a basic go to. Get creative. While your cauliflower is baking, you have plenty of time to prepare the rest of your meal and even put some Michigan Toast in the oven during the final 10 minute of the cauliflower cooking time. At this time, the table will be set, beverages in the glasses and you are ready to call your People top the Table 🍽️
Ingredients & Method
-1 Whole cauliflower trimmed and washed
-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature, not melted
-2 cloves minced garlic
-1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
-freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or paprika if you prefer less spicy)
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Place washed and trimmed head of cauliflower in a baking dish
- Blend in a bowl with a fork the softened butter, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black pepper. Rub onto cauliflower. Tent with foil and place in 400 degree oven. Set timer for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove from oven, uncover, either baste or brush with a silicone pasty brush the cauliflower with the season melted butter liquid in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and place back in the oven, decreasing heat to 375 degrees, now uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and coarsely chop the cauliflower into desired size of serving pieces.
- Store remaining in the fridge and use for another meal, if there is any left.
- Checkout other great recipes in my book It’s a Great Day To…Gather Around a Table, available here on my website.
