David Rocco claims this is the best cauliflower dish ever. Hmm, I’ve heard that before. He goes on to say that lots of people find cauliflower unexciting, yet asserts that when well prepared, particularly this way, it will please any crowd.
cauliflower cooked in pomodoro
Well, I never had problems with cauliflower. In fact I am a big fan of the whole famiglia Brassica. Give me collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower anytime and I will be a happy camper. Here’re a few of my other favorites: shabby chic roasted cauliflower, sautéed shaved Brussels sprouts and cabbage mango salad.
What drew my attention to this dish was the fact that it calls for using grated cheese as well as cheese rind and the dry leftover cheeses that you might have neglected. Who doesn’t have those forgotten little bits of cheese hidden somewhere in the refrigerator? Mine usually get lost in there or if he’s lucky, fed to Clarence, my bulldog. Them’s expensive puppy treats, so it feels good to put these “leftovers” to better use.
Oh, yeah, and after having this dish, I can say right here, if not the best ever, this is in the top three or four cauliflower recipes that I’ve ever eaten.
Do you like cauliflower? What’s your favorite ways of preparing it?
cauliflower cooked in pomodoro
1 large head cauliflower cut into small pieces, including the core
1 medium sized Vidalia onion, cubed
½ cup (or more) of old dry cheese from your refrigerator cut into small cubes. I had smoked gouda, crusty brie, Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, and some tired cheddar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ bunch chopped Italian parsley
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups jarred tomato purée
1 cup water
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Place a large saucepan on stove top, add ½ of the olive oil and onion, bring temperature to medium high and sauté onion until translucent. Avoid burning it. Toss in cauliflower, parsley, salt, pepper, jarred tomato purée (pomodoro) and water. Bring to a boil then reduce temperature to medium low and simmer for 35-45 minutes. Stir every now and then to prevent sticking. In the end cauliflower will be broken apart and sauce will be concentrated. Remove from heat, mix in rest of olive oil, dry cheeses and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Let sit uncovered in a warm area for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
sorry, Sweetie, no cheese for you today. We're eating it all.
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I love cauliflower. I don’t really prepare it in a special way. I boil it and then serve with butter and salt and pepper. The thing is, I haven’t eaten it ever since I got married. Mr P hates it, even the smell.
I think this dish looks really tasty. I never would have thought of eating cauliflower in a tomato based sauce.
*kisses* HH
That’s saying something….top three? (I’m not a huge fan of Rocco, I don’t know why. The show seems a bit contrived perhaps.) First time I’ve seen it served in a tomato type sauce.
When I’m all alone, I just parboil it, then toss it with olive oil and garlic and let it brown a bit. I’ve roasted it and would LOVE to make a soup with it. Perhaps this winter. There sure are enough recipes out there.
BTW: my kids don’t like cauliflower much so I rarely serve it when they’re home.
Oh my goodness! your puppy looks so very upset with you!! Dear me!
Cauliflower is wonderful at taking on the flavors it is paired with! GREG
The recipe looks very yummy. Since my wife have a good stash of cheese, I guess it is a no-brainer that we will try it out.
Clarence plainly hates that recipe. That look tells it all.
Cauliflower? boring? I find it an interesting vegetable that I enjoy a lot in many different ways.
Look at that face…what a cutie, I would never be able to deny him anything! I do adore cauliflower as well and this is such an interesting way to prepare it. And of course I frequently have various bits of cheese hanging around 🙂