Currying Favors
It’s a wonder I can even get my fingers to move.
Because like a fool, I purchased the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD. I decided I needed to get a little strength training into my day, and I’d heard good things about it. SWEET BABY JESUS. It’s a good thing Jillian is so nurturing and supportive, and doesn’t yell at you while you’re working out.
Wait, that’s a different trainer I’m thinking of. Jillian is the one who screeches at me about how thinking you can get away with simply taking the stairs for exercise is the REFUGE OF THE LETHARGIC.
I managed to drag my wobbly carcass up the stairs to cook dinner after finishing the DVD, so hooray for that.
Unfortunately, I was too tired to get back down the stairs after eating, so I just threw myself down and hoped that I’d land in the vicinity of the computer. Or the bed. I’m here, so it seems to have worked.
But about the food: As a side for dinner tonight, I roasted up some curried cauliflower. It’s probably my favorite way to eat this much-overlooked vegetable; if you blast it with high heat, it turns brown and crisp and nutty-sweet.
I hacked up a head of cauliflower and tossed the florets with olive oil and kosher salt. Plain ol’ roasted cauliflower is damn good, but I decided to gild the lily by dousing my veg with curry powder. Curry and cauliflower are friends that go way back.
I let the cauliflower roast at 475 for about 35 minutes while I seared off some pork loin, re-heated some leftover sweet potato puree and spent the remainder of the time laying on the floor trembling.
If you think you don’t like cauliflower, I implore you to give it a good roasting and see what you think; it’s transformative. Brown, crisp, fragrant with curry, perfectly tender – you can’t beat it with a stick.
If you happen to have some left over sweet potato puree scented with orange and cardamom, so much the better. If you don’t, you might want to make some. (Brian referred to these sweet potatoes as “soul affirming.”)
Now, I’m going to try and make it to the bedroom before my body shuts down completely.
Roasted Curry Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower, hacked to pieces
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat the over to 475. Toss all the ingredients together and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast, tossing once during cooking, until brown and fragrant, about 30-40 minutes.
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This is exactly my favorite way to have cauliflower. Sometimes I make a huge plate of it, throw a couple of poached eggs on top, pair with a little green salad and call it dinner. Delish!
We call that cauliflower candy in my house. I’ve been known to eat almost an entire head by myself. You should try broccoli cooked almost the same way, only for less time (more like 10 minutes). Or, try broccoli with olive oil, salt, whole cumin and coriander seeds. Roast at 400 for 10 minutes then add in some peeled shrimp coated with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Another 10 minutes. Squeeze the whole thing with lemon juice. Try it. And thank Melissa Clark, because she’s the one who wrote about it in the NY Times. Yum.
When I was pulling recipes from Food and Wine the other day, I came across this recipe for cauliflower “steak” with corn.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cauliflower-steaks-with-spiced-corn
I think it would be a bit of a nasty trick to pull on someone, to say you’re going to grill steaks, then present someone with something that looks vaguely like a pan-fried brain. But I bet it’s also quite tasty. Tasty brains . . .
I will do this! I love califlower but have never done other than steam and cover with butter and italian bread crumbs (yum) but this looks wonderful! I bet it would be an awesome side at Thanksgiving….
yum! definitely going to try this. let us know how the SHRED dvd ends up working for you… i’ve been curious!
This might be the thing to bring me over the side of cauliflower! The only thing I can say about the shred is that just about the time you really, really want to kill Jillian, its over!
I’ve never put curry powder on my cauliflower, but I do love it roasted. Sounds delicious your way, though.
I’ve had the Shred DVD for a long time. I still go back between 1 and 2, and I’ve only ever watched level 3. The tears shed over just watching it pretty much assured I’ll never actually get to that level. Have I mentioned I hate strength training?
I’m reading this just after buying a giant head of cauliflower for the sole purpose of roasting that sumbitch.
I’m totally going for the curry instead of just plain sea salt and pepper!
Thanks for the inspiration, once again.
p.s. do you think adding a bit of garam masala would be too OTT?
liz, way to elevate it with the poached egg. yum.
susan, i have a head of broccoli in my fridge awaiting that very treatment.
heatherkay, zombie steak! i bet it *is* really good.
cynic, ain’t nothing wrong with butter and breadcrumbs, but i do urge you to try this. it would be a great t’giving side if you can spare the oven space.
stephanie, it’s day three, and my arms are so sore that i don’t think i’m going to be able to take my ponytail out tonight.
lori, it totally will – try it!
sara, i almost watched 3 just to see what it was, but i thought it might be too depressing.
bhl, not at all!
Michelle: I came home and put in my Shred DVD after reading this post today! See? You’re inspirational! I still haven’t even considered doing level 3 since that one time I checked it out. Honestly, though, it seems really hard at first, but you can totally do it. Really!
I do that same 30 Day Shred. Press on- I am 58 years old and I am doing level 3 and still here!
This recipe looks so good.
I am cheering you on. Can you hear me?
sara, i do have high hopes that at some future date i won’t want to die after level 1.
alyse, i hear it! i do!
So, curry + garam masala + black pepper = happy me!
Today, used the leftovers to make a giant lunch salad with shredded cabbage, carrots and cucumber. Added a wee bit of mild tzatizi as dressing. It’s fuckin’ awesome. Fortunately, I’m in my office alone, so the inevitable side effects of all those cruciferous veggies are manageable in polite society.
Yum! I’m in a curry phase, great recipe.
cupcake
http://www.thefamily-table.blogspot.com
Love all the flavors and textures of this dish….curry makes just about EVERYTHING taste better, don’t you think? – S
After dreaming about this side for a year now, I made it last night. So flavorful! So delicious! And I’m always amazed at how much cauliflower shrinks whilst roasting.