Pepper-Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

By Aida Mollenkamp

Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins | Active Time: 5 mins | Makes: 8 to 10 servings as an hors d'oeuvre (8 to 9 cups)

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that go from ho-hum to stellar once roasted. The addition of soy sauce and pepper makes for a salty-peppery-sweet snack.

This recipe was featured as part of our Spicy Holiday Cocktail Party menu.

INGREDIENTS

16 cups cauliflower, cut into small, even-size florets (from 2 large heads)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes, tossing cauliflower occasionally.
Arrange half of the cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until tender and slightly blackened, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Beverage pairing: Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, California. Cauliflower has a nice blend of sweet and bitter, and here it’s accented by the lift of pepper and the umami of soy sauce. It deserves a complex wine, and this white is one of the most complex and delicious California delivers. A blend of white Rhône grapes, the unoaked wine merges honeyed notes of tropical fruits with a slightly bitter floral flavor, all held together by a stirring minerality.

SOURCE: http://www.chow.com/recipes/11204-pepper-roasted-cauliflower