This roasted cauliflower gratin is a mediterranean take on a gratin. It’s not completely drowned in cheese. Not swimming in a béchamel.
It’s cleaner. About the taste of cauliflower. Briny olives. Some salty melted cheese goodness. A hint of heat. Sweetness from the shallots.
I am a fan of vegetables. I am a big fan of roasted vegetables. Roasting concentrates the flavour. Pumps them up. You might not get that given the carnivorous bent of many of the posts here. But it’s true.
I just don’t think the world needs another blog post about how to boil beans. Waste of your time. And mine. But vegetables should be celebrated. And this roasted cauliflower gratin does just that.
It’s not trivial to make. Dishes will get dirty. You need to cook on the stove and the oven. There’s a few ingredients But it’s worth it. Like many great recipes take a little effort. But that effort pays off.
Roasted cauliflower gratin makes a tasty vegetarian main but it absolutely shines as a side to a classic roast chicken .
Just chicken and the cauliflower on the plate. Drizzles with a pan sauce from the chicken. Try it some time when you have foodie friends over for dinner.
roasted cauliflower gratin
Ingredients
- 2-2 1/2 lbs cauliflower - cut into large florets (think 2 bites)
- 4 large shallots or 1 medium onion - diced to make about a cup
- 2-3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/2 tsp anchovy paste - optional
- 12 oil cured black olives - regular kalamata will do in a pinch, chopped, plus a few for on top
- 1/2 tsp crushed red chili - or less if you don’t like spicy
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cups grated pecorino romano
- 6 oz shredded friulano or mozzarella in a pinch
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375F.
- Spread the florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and toss to coat the cauliflower.
- Roast about 30-35 minutes. You want them soft, not mushy. They will cook a little more in the gratin.
- While the cauliflower roasts, heat a frying pan over medium low heat.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and cook the shallots/onions until soft.
- Add the garlic, chili flakes and anchovy paste if you are using it and cook one minute more.
- Toss the roasted cauliflower, onion mixture, parsley, olives and 1/2 cup of pecorino romano in a large bowl.
- Combine the shredded friulano and the remaining pecorino.
- Transfer to a shallow oven proof baking dish, spread the cheese mix and olives overtop and cook for 25-30 minutes. You want the cheese nicely browned and the cauliflower tender.
Nutrition
Thai basil beef – pad gra prow – is one of the really great stir fried dishes from Southeast Asia. Garlic. Chili. Thai basil. Beef. A bit salty. The slightest hint of sweet. In wonderful balance. And it comes together in no time flat.
This is weeknight cooking at it’s best. Super easy and super delicious. Nothing better than that. A bit more work than takeout maybe but you can say you did it yourself. And the house will smell great.
Thai basil beef – pure and simple
There are a lot of convoluted recipes for Thai basil beef out there. Not sure why. Some need to clutter this dish for some reason. But I won’t do it. No oyster sauce here. Or red bell pepper. Or lime.
Forget the stock. Just the basics. Clean. Simple. Pure. Like the guy with the street cart in Bangkok is doing I like to think.
All red chilies are not the same
This is important. There are chilies and there are chilies. The bigger ones tend not to be super hot. I’m not saying that’s a hard a fast rule. I don’t know what every chili in the world is like.
But for sure those little red Thai chilies are hot. Screaming hot. Blow a hole in the back of your head hot. So be careful. Check your chilies. If you like the heat from the larger ones stick with those.
If you want hotter then mix in some of the smaller ones. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
All soy sauces are not the same either
Get to know your soy sauces. There are big differences between them. Chinese is strong. Assertive. In your face. Great for Chinese. Not so great for anything else.
Japanese soy is just as you’d expect. Refined. Subtle. Delicate.
Thai thin is the right one here. It’s a lighter soy. Has hints of fish sauce without the fishiness. I know that doesn’t make sense but it’s the best I can come up with.
I use Thai thin soy whenever I cook Thai. That and the Thai dark sweet soy. Depends what I’m making. It makes a difference. You need to try it to understand.
Grind the chilies with the garlic
That’s the secret. Grinding the chilies with the garlic. It changes the whole flavour profile of this dish Crushing the chilis releases juices. Those juices have flavour.
The mortar and pestle really does make a difference. Enough that I do it when I make this dish. It’s a pain. But if you don’t feel like it Thai basil beef is still really tasty.
Choice of beef is important. Any beef you would serve as a steak works here. New York striploin. sirloin, even flank. All safe bets.
