Stewed cauliflower, tomatoes, and chick peas with lemony uplift, ala tamar adler
Ragout and stew
Boiling water, your food processor, and heat retention do most of the work for you in this adaptation of a Tamar Adler recipe ("Cauliflower With Capers, Black Olives and Chiles") that appeared in the New York Times Magazine in February 2016. The first time I made it, it seemed to cry out for the addition of tomatoes and chick peas. From there I began experimenting, and ended up here: I've added some nori, kombu, and anchovies for complexity, pickled hot peppers and more capers to punch up the heat and brininess, some stewed tomatoes, and some chick peas for heft (and a little protein). Calling it "stewed" is perhaps a little misleading--it's almost more like you're marinating the cauliflower. In any case, the bracingly bright vinaigrette-cum-tapenade that cuts through the tomato base really elevates the whole thing. This is excellent on its own; with some bread to sop up all the juices; tossed with orzo or spaghetti or rice; with the addition of calamari; or served alongside a nice piece of fish. A mixture of yellow, purple, and white cauliflower (or even Romanesco) in conjunction with the red tomatoes makes the dish especially stunning visually, but if you can't get your hands on anything but plain old white cauliflower, that won't affect the flavor in any way. Alternatively, use a mixture of white and/or yellow cauliflower and sub in some blue or purple potatoes, which is actually my preferred method, as the potatoes play beautifully with the chick peas, as well as with the anchovies and briny things. A note about ingredient quantities: the recommended amounts of anchovies, hot pepper, and lemon are what you can consider opening bids. If you have unusually large lemons, for instance, you might not need all the zest and juice, which is why it's important to taste as you go. Same goes for the anchovies and pickled peppers. Feel free to omit some or all of both, or to use more. You can also use chili flakes in lieu of the pickled hot peppers, although I really love the pickled peppers here--they remind me of a puttanesca I had somewhere in Seattle years ago that used pickled goat horn peppers. Also bear in mind that this gets better the longer it sits around, so consider making it a day in advance. Lastly, I should note that the photo included is from an earlier version of this recipe which did not include the chick peas. Again, this is adapted from Tamar Adler in the New York Times: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017983-cauliflower-with-capers-black-olives-and-chiles?action=click&contentCollection=Magazine&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article.
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