Cauliflower With Anchovies and Crushed Olives
Published November 13, 2018
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
4 anchovies
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
Kosher salt and black pepper
¾ cup green olives, such as Castelvetrano, pitted and crushed
2 tablespoons fresh oregano or marjoram
2 scallions, thinly sliced
½ preserved lemon, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
½ cup parsley, tender leaves and stems
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
7 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 195 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 388 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the anchovies, and let them melt and sizzle in the olive oil, about 2 minutes. Add about ¾ of the cauliflower, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned on one side, 4 to 7 minutes. Add the olives and half of the oregano and give it a stir. Continue to cook until the cauliflower is completely softened and evenly browned, another 4 to 7 minutes.
- Step 2
Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl along with scallions, preserved lemon (if using), vinegar and remaining raw cauliflower. Season with salt, pepper and more vinegar, if you like.
- Step 3
Transfer cauliflower to a large serving platter or bowl and top with parsley, remaining oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Private Notes
Comments
We LOVED this. Cauliflower and lemon and anchovies and garlic are regular staples in our house; we literally only needed to buy the fresh cauliflower to make this for dinner tonight. We tossed this with hot cavatelli pasta and topped with a generous amount of grated parm. Yes yes yes.
I'm a little late to the Alison Roman party, but better late than never. This is my first, but not my last, foray into her recipes. My only deviation from the instructions was to toss anchovy oil and cauliflower and then roast it all up on a sheet pan. It was amazingly easy and way more delicious than a recipe this simple has any right to be! (PS) As someone else suggested, next time I may try a few flakes or red pepper.
Utterly delicious and crave-worthy! Roasted all of the cauliflower in the anchovy oil in 450 oven for 20 mins, adding olives and marjoram for last 7 mins. The preserved lemon and 1/2 chili from the jar added a nice touch of "yum - what is that?" while the olives provided a nice touch of saltiness (Les Moulins Mahjoub organic lemon/Catelvetrano olive). The recipe is well balanced and the 1 T of vinegar is perfect. Huge hit at Xmas dinner - we all kept going back for more!
Another user suggested adding cannelini beans, and that was a great idea. Used a whole can of anchovies to be sure there was enough to season both the cauli and the beans. Served over a bed of couscous with raisins.
I thought this sounded so good, particularly combining raw with cooked cauliflower. However, the pan-sauteed cauliflower remained pretty hard and crunchy, not much different in texture from the 1/4 amount of fresh cauliflower. I think if I make this again, which I'm not tempted to, I'd parboil the cauliflower first, or put the mixture in a hot oven for longer. Flavors were just okay, even though I included preserved lemon, which I adore.
I found the addition of preserved lemon to make the dish too salty. If I use this ingredient again, and if I make this dish again, I would chop the preserved lemon rather than slice since I think a smaller bit might be nicer than a big, salty slice. I was also not a fan of the cooked and uncooked cauliflower and would just opt to cook all of it.