Roasted Cauliflower

I dedicate this to my Dutch oven friends Craig and Kim who cook with the Lewisville Lake Armadillos in north Texas.  They pointed me to this recipe that celebrates healthy cauliflower that I tried it out tonight and love the results.  

Ingredients

• A head of cauliflower (about 8 cups) – florets broken into bit size pieces and thick stems trimmed back
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped chives, dried or fresh
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pepper, black ground, freshly ground, to taste
• 2 tablespoons vinegar balsamic, aged is best (I promise, it is worth every penny)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, finely shredded
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Prepare a 12-inch camp Dutch oven by spraying with Pam or spreading a light coal of vegetable oil around the bottom of the oven.  If your oven is an old-timer that has a lot of seasoning, don’t worry about this step.

Fire up a big chimney of charcoal.  You will need it!  Getting your camp oven to a smoking hot 450F will take a big batch of hot charcoal.  (For those who need to know –  33).

Mix cauliflower, oil, oregano, pine nuts, salt and pepper together in a large bowl, tossing all ingredients together until cauliflower is evenly coated with oil and seasoning.   Pour into prepared camp Dutch oven and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit (22 hot charcoals on top and 11 underneath) for about 15 minutes or when cauliflower is fork tender.  Remove the lid and place on a lid stand, keeping the hot charcoals on the lid.  Sprinkle vinegar over the cauliflower and stir until vinegar is evenly distributed.

Put the lid back on the oven and add any extra coals you may have for about 5 minutes.  It is time to brown the top of the cauliflower and remove any extra moisture.

While the cauliflower is roasting, mix together cheese and bread crumbs in a bowl.

Pull the lid and enjoy the aroma of roasted cauliflower!   Sprinkle parmesan and bread crumb mixture across the top. Replace the lid on the Dutch oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.Oh this is so satisfying and wonderful! The crunchy topping of Parmesan and bread crumbs give way to the soft roasted cauliflower with sweet piñon nuts mixed in to each bite.  Thank you Craig and Kim for sharing this great recipe!