Last night my toddler asked me for more cauliflower. I had to conceal my complete delight and shock and pretend, like, yeah, sure, seconds of cauliflower. Totally normal.
When I have been feeling unvirtuous, I come back to this recipe. It’s a whole head of cauliflower, showered with Pecorino cheese and cracked black pepper, roasted in the oven until the cauliflower melts like a stew and the cheese crisps and tans on the top. The butter and olive oil mix with the water and cauliflower juices to make a kind of broth. Sometimes you want the comfort of something cooked in a big Dutch oven, but just want the weight of it. I serve this with a green salad with mustard vinaigrette. If you don’t need to be virtuous, definitely cut up a baguette to dunk on the side.
Whole Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe
serves 2 plus a small person who asks for seconds
INGREDIENTS
1 “jumbo” cauliflower, washed
2 cups boiling water
1 cup (2.5 oz) grated Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably organic and cultured), diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
METHOD
Move the rack to the bottom third of the oven. Preheat to 450 degrees F.
Trim the bottom off the cauliflower so it has a flat base on which to sit. Remove any big leaves (little pale green ones are fine). Give the whole thing a wash and sit it in the bottom of a big Dutch oven. Pour the hot water in the bottom of the pot.
Season the top of the cauliflower with salt. Using your pepper grinder, grind 25 twists of black pepper on the coarsest setting over the top. Pile the cheese on top of the cauliflower, the top with the butter, then drizzle with the olive oil. If some of the flavorings fall into the water, that’s great – it becomes a delicious cauliflower broth.
Put the lid on the pot and bake for 45 minutes, until the cauliflower is very tender. Serve with Mustardy Green Salad.
