Did I mention how much I hate cauliflower?

It’s my least favorite vegetable. Because boiled it tastes like soggy water.

Did I tell you how much I love cauliflower?

When it’s roasted with shallots and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

Because then it becomes my very favorite vegetable. So delicious that I actually look forward to eating it.

Roasted cauliflower is so filling and satisfying that we’ve brought a large serving to family gatherings. It gets rave reviews.

Without a doubt, this recipe is good enough to serve to company. (Just make sure to make enough of it because it WILL go fast.)

One of the “beautiful” things about cauliflower is that it’s so bland. This is both a blessing and a curse.

A curse if you decide to just boil it.

But a blessing if you dress it up. Because that very blandness means it absorbs flavors.

Now, the only way I eat cauliflower is roasted. So good. Never boiled. Yuck.

So I’d like to share my very favorite cauliflower recipe with you.

Roasted Cauliflower and Lemon Recipe

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The secret ingredient in this recipe is finely chopped shallots. (However, I cannot chop them as finely as I like because they make my eyes water so much. It still works this way. But finely chopped is better.)

Shallots, apparently, are also the secret ingredient in many restaurant dishes. Professional cooks love them, because they impart such an exquisite flavor.

I also use shallots in a similar side dish I make with broccoli. (You can see that recipe here.)

I also make sure to use high grade olive oil, partly because of its natural pepper taste.

Also, because olive oil fraud is a huge problem. It’s been widely reported that many brands, even some of the ones you find in a grocery store, have been doctored. That’s because olive oil is expensive to produce, and the demand is so high.

So I use California Olive Ranch brand, sourced from olives grown on California ranches. (I like to cut out the middlemen based in the Mediterranean, where olive oil fraud has existed for centuries.)

Roasted Cauliflower With Shallots

Anyway, if you plan to make this dish, plan on 15 minutes of prep time and 1 hour of cooking time.

It takes me a little longer to prepare if the cauliflower is not USDA certified organic because I want to wash away as many pesticides as I can.

To do this I submerge the head in a bowl of cool water with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then I swish it around for a few minutes.

Baking soda is supposed to be excellent for removing pesticides.

Roasted Cauliflower And Lemon Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Delicious and filling roast cauliflower recipe with lemon and shallots.

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Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 lemon
• 2 shallots
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Chop cauliflower head into small pieces. Discard the stem
2. Put cauliflower in large rectangular roasting pan
3. Chop shallots finely and sprinkle on top of cauliflower
4. Add juice of 1 lemon to cauliflower
5. Drizzle with olive oil
6. Add salt and pepper
7. Mix thoroughly
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Notes

This cooking time will yield roast cauliflower with a touch of browning. If you like deeper browning, adjust the cooking time. Add 5 minutes and check it. If it's not brown enough cook it 5 minutes longer.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 156mg Carbohydrates: 11g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 5g Protein: 3g