Cooking With Cauliflower, a Feisty Vegetable

Cauliflower, though now in vogue, was once the least appreciated of the large family of cruciferous vegetables, no doubt because of memories of encountering it boiled, flabby and timidly seasoned, if seasoned at all.

It may be hard to believe, as grilled cauliflower “steak” is now served as a main course in high-end restaurants, and boutique vegetable stands sell miniature cauliflower in pastel shades of violet and saffron with fresh green leaves attached.

In less enlightened times, cauliflower was humble fare, thrown into a pot or pushed into the oven and forgotten for hours. Never mind, a vegetable wasn’t supposed to taste like much. Still, I’d never turn away a proper cauliflower cheese dish prepared in the British manner with good Cheddar, all bubbling and creamy — an old recipe that has a certain charm despites it relatively mild-mannered profile.

The fact is, cauliflower can stand up to rather bold seasoning. It almost begs for it.

Asian spices marry very well with cauliflower. What vegetable couldn’t use a blast of garlic and ginger and a hot pepper or two? With cauliflower, this is doubly true. Cumin and mustard seeds popped in oil, Indian-style, do wonders for it too. Throw slivered scallions and cilantro and mint into the mix. Don’t hold back.

Another cauliflower truth: It wants high heat in an iron pan, not water or steam. With your oil of choice, try stir-frying thickish slices, letting them brown and caramelize. You’ll notice the improved flavor immediately.

With that in mind, here I give cauliflower a southern Italian sensibility. For big flavor, it gets chopped garlic, fresh sage, spicy peperoncini and capers; the stir-fry medium is extra-virgin olive oil. Quarter-inch slices of cauliflower emerge from the pan in mere minutes, zesty and a little feisty, too. For a side vegetable, you couldn’t do better.

But I also like combining this Italianate cauliflower with a toothy large-format pasta, like rigatoni, for a stellar pasta al forno. It can be made hours in advance of serving. I give it a topping of sharp pecorino, bread crumbs and a drizzle of oil, then bake it for a marvelous lunch or light supper.

Crisp and golden, golden and crisp.