The Awesomest of Cauliflower Wedges (yes, you heard me)--Review

If you had told me prior to last month that I'd ever get excited about cauliflower, I would have given you that face...you know the one. And if you don't, let's just move on.

Working my way through Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Every Day (although admittedly I have not yet used it EVERY day), I came upon her recipe for roasted cauliflower, with the ultra sexy title of CAULIFLOWER WEDGE (pages 42-43). But I like the understated title because it holds a secret...

THIS IS THE BEST CAULIFLOWER YOU WILL EVER HAVE.

Ok, so maybe it is *my* favorite cauliflower. It doesn't have to be yours. It is light and flavorful, and you can still taste the sweetness of the cauliflower. And it looks pretty on the plate!

Part of what makes this recipe so great is these:

Those are fried capers. I'm certain if you put fried capers and parmesan on just about anything you can eat it! Except eggplant. There is no helping eggplant.

The recipe calls for only a few ingredients: cauliflower (go figure), capers, parmesan, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, currants, scallions, flat-leaf parsley. I won't reproduce the recipe here, but you can experiment and probably figure out a close approximation.

I'm also grateful to this recipe because I learned a new word: FRICOED. Yeah, that's an example of "verbing" (which is also example of "verbing" but...) Frico, at least originally, means a wafer of shredded cheese and potatoes. Perelman uses it to refer to the parmesan crispies (a term I prefer) that form in the oven as you roast the cauliflower, as in "fricoed bits of Parmesan" (43). Whatever you call them, be sure to pull them up off the baking sheet and sprinkle them on top when you serve the cauliflower. Because everything is better with fricoed crispies.

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More October 2009 Real Simple Recipes

I've been enjoying the "A Month of Easy Dinners" issue of Real Simple (October 2009). I hope to try all of them, but some of them may have to wait until next Fall. This week, however, I managed to make the " Ravioli with Apples and Walnuts " and " Meatballs with Sautéed chard ". RAVIOLI WITH APPLES AND WALNUTS Modifications: I added some andouille chicken sausage we had in the fridge. Rating: 3.5/5 stars Notes: very good in concept and I liked the apples with the spicy sausage. I did find the dish to be too dry, however, and think I will toss it all in some truffle oil next time. Nice balance of flavors. MEATBALLS WITH SAUTÉED CHARD Modifications: none (served with whole-wheat couscous instead of suggested baguette) Rating: 4/5 stars Notes: really loved these meatballs--would make easy appetizers for a party, too. The combination of pine nuts, currants, cinnamon and pork gave them a Mediterranean taste and the moisture from the chard kept them fro

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Quinoa Pilaf with Artichokes, Leeks and Sugar Snap Peas

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THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

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