Charred Cauliflower with Cornichons
Trust me you need to make this or go to this restaurant to get is. Whenever I am in Chicago I always stop at The Purple Pig to have a couple appetizers. Two in particular, the Charred Cauliflower with Cornichons which I am going to talk about here and the Spring Pea and Pancetta appetizer. Both are very well priced and both are so good! This photo of the cauliflower is one I took and the recipe I found on line. The ingredients might make you scratch your head but trust me, it’s amazing!
You will need:
- 5 ounces day-old Italian bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 heads of cauliflower, preferably green and white—halved, cored and cut into 1-inch florets
- 1 cup lightly packed parsley leaves
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced cornichons
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- In a pie plate, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden and crisp.
- Transfer the croutons to a food processor and pulse until coarse bread crumbs form.
- Preheat a grill pan.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill half of the florets in the hot pan over moderately high heat, turning, until crisp-tender and charred in spots, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
- Add the parsley, cornichons, lemon juice and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the cauliflower and toss well.
- Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The cauliflower can stand at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top just before serving. That’s the recipe as I found it on line and I have made it and it’s incredible. If I go back to Chicago I will be going to The Purple Pig again.
– Daniel Mancini
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