Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Infused Olive Oil

It's the middle of February and winter has really started to become a drag this year. With all of the snow and now the bitter cold, I'm really starting to get stir crazy. Given my state of mind, I've decided to head over to my local Dominick's grocery store. When I arrived in the produce section, I noticed all of the winter vegetables and one in particular that stood out - cauliflower.

Cauliflower is in season from October through April and comes in three colors: white (the most common) then green followed by purple. You should look for firm heads with compact leaves and the leaves should be crisp with no yellowing. A raw head of cauliflower can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days before cooking.

Most times people will cut off the florets and then boil, bake or sauté them. I discovered that roasting the florets adds another level of flavor that you can't get when you boil or bake them.

The taste of cauliflower can be very subtle or even bland. That's why I like to give my roasted cauliflower some help. I use olive oil to coat the florets before roasting, and then I season them with freshly ground white pepper and sea salt. The olive oil that I like to use is flavored or infused with lemon; this gives the cauliflower some real zip. When roasting cauliflower, be sure to slice the florets in half so the cut side lays flat on the roasting pan. This allows the cauliflower to get nice and crispy. Don't worry if the ends get a little brown - that's the crunchy good part!

If your local grocer doesn't carry lemon infused olive oil, don't worry. It's very easy to make your own and while you're making it, you can decide how strong the lemon flavor should be.

So let's get started.....

********************************************************

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Infused Olive Oil

********************************************************

***Ingredients***

1 head firm white cauliflower
4 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil
White pepper, freshly ground
Sea salt, freshly ground

****Preparation***

Place a cookie sheet or sheet pan in the oven and pre heat to 400 degrees.

Cut florets from cauliflower head and slice each floret in half so each half lays flat on the cookie sheet. Rinse florets thoroughly in a colander. Add florets to a large mixing bowl and coat them with lemon infused olive oil. Season with freshly ground white pepper and sea salt to taste. Toss to thoroughly coat.

When oven has reached 400 degrees, remove the cookie sheet and pour florets onto the pan distributing evenly across the pan. Place in the oven and roast for 15 - 20 minutes. The florets should be slightly firm when pierced with a fork and the edges of the florets should be brown and crispy. Remove the florets from the oven and serve immediately.

***************************************

How to Infuse Olive Oil with Lemon

***************************************

***Ingredients***

4 lemons
2 cups extra virgin olive oil

****Preparation***

Zest or peel the lemons using a micro plane. If you do not have a micro plane, use a fine grater or a knife. You only want the outer yellow part of the lemon peel. The inner white part of the peel is bitter.

Pour extra virgin olive oil into a small saucepan. Add the zest or peels from the lemons. Stir the mixture to combine. Heat over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, stir, then cover the saucepan. Allow to sit for at least 2 hours but no more then 8 hours. The citrus flavor will combine with the olive oil but the longer you let it sit, the stronger the citrus flavor.

Set a strainer inside a bowl then place a layer of cheese cloth inside the strainer. Pour the olive oil through the cheese cloth to filter out the lemon zest.

Pour the strained infused olive oil into a dark glass or ceramic bottle and store in a cool dark place for up to six months.

***************************************