Cauliflower roast

The weather though sort of gloomy and raining is growing warmer.. My sunflower seeds are now saplings , so are my mums. Sadly, the coriander did not want to be with us. Guess the seeds were irradiated and therefore sterile. I think I will get a sapling from the supermarket this week end. Well I should say chilli flakes are keeping my young green friends happy, the squirrel and the other rodents  are some how put off by the pungency of the chilli flakes. The other day I read in Wall Street Journal that even  Elephants are put off by the chillies, no wonder the tiny squirrels are. I am so much looking forward to pick our own vegetables! What better can it get, vegetables off the patch, delicious and fresh. I love having a vegetable patch but living in an apartment is not exactly vegetable-patch-friendly. Probably the only time I regret not owning a house is the spring when the entire city is full of potting earth, pots, seeds and saplings. May be one day my dream will come true.

As the warmer season kicks in, I am gradually bidding good-bye to our winter favorites -chard, kale,  cauliflower, cabbage etc. Have not had the chard and kale in more than two weeks now and this is the last of cauliflower for this season. I can barely wait for the squash, fresh greens and all the delicious vegetables, two-three more weeks and I will be jumping up and down with joy. Well the Strawberries are already here.

So the Strawberries are here,can the squash and beans be far behind? I bet P.B.Shelly is rolling in his grave!

It is roast cauliflower for now. The deal with cauliflower is that, it needs to be cooked just right, cook for too long, it will turn into a mush, if uncooked it smells sulfurous and very tough. Stove top cooking is not really the easiest way to cook cauliflower. I never seem to get the desired results on the stove tops these days. May be the new stove cannot crank up the heat like the old one did. So I take a little help from my oven. It is easy and needs no baby-sitting. So here it is.

We will need,

Cauliflower 2 lbs cut  into florets
Peanut oil 2-3 tbsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp (Adjust according to taste)
Jeera powder 1 tbsp
Juice and zest or half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
fresh coriander a handful


Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 450F.
• Place the oil in a large mixing bowl. Throw in the chilli powder, Jeera powder and salt into the bowl and combine it well.
• Throw the cleaned and cut cauliflower florets into the mixing bowl. Toss well.
• Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet and pop it into the oven for about 15-20 minutes till the cauliflower is tender crisp. Keep a close eye, for the time varies with ovens.
• Remove the cauliflower into another bowl and throw in the coriander, lemon zest. 
• Squeeze the juice of the lemon to taste. Adjust salt and pepper and serve immediately.