Sicilian Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe is an offshoot of a type of gratin that originated in Sicily, Italy. I haven't yet had the chance to try it in Italy (will be sure to when I go again!), but I did try a version of it at The Smith, a restaurant in the Upper West Side of New York City. It seemed like a simple roasted cauliflower, but I was intrigued at the variety of ingredients added in. The capers were an interesting surprise, as were the raisins and sliced chili peppers. My version is made the same way, with a few additions that pulled off the very same complex flavors I was looking for.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
10-12 saffron threads (optional)
1/2 shallot, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons of dried cranberries (golden raisins work very well here too)
2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 450F. Chop the cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets, and wash. Shake the excess water off and drop them onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the saffron threads over them (optional). Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the cauliflower, then gently toss them spread the seasoning. Bake for about 30 minutes.Pour in a little boiling water (about 1/4 cup) over the cauliflower, and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and golden on the edges.

Once the cauliflower is roasted, toss it in a bowl with the cranberries (or golden raisins) and set it aside.

Roasted cauliflower with cranberries

Heat a small pan with about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, and fry for about a minute, or until the shallot is translucent. Add the pine nuts and capers, and fry for another 2 minutes or so. Add in the chopped parsley, mix, and then turn off the heat.

Shallot, garlic, pine nut, caper, and parsley mixture

Toss this mixture into the roasted cauliflower and serve warm. Enjoy!

Nutritional tidbits:
Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that are often overlooked. White veggies are often thought to have less nutritional value than their colorful counterparts, but cauliflower definitely is an important part of a healthy diet. It contains nutrients such as vitamins (including choline, a B vitamin), indole-3-carbinol, and sulfuraphane. These nutrients have been shown to help prevent diabetes, becoming overweight, and certain cancers (cervical, prostate, and ovarian cancers).