Simple Cooking - Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Balsamic

By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 17, 2010 4:00PM

Roasted vegetables are a staple of our kitchen. As much as we love cooking, 2-and-3 burner cookery can be stressful. Too often, we end up with last-minute missing ingredients and oil all over our jeans. Or, one dish is finished while 3 others sit simmering. The solution? Roasting!

This is one of the most forgiving roasted vegetables recipes we know of. When we made it last week, we forgot about it and left it in for an extra 10 minutes, to no ill effect. Make sure to use plenty of oil, as the cauliflower will absorb it, and use a good vinegar, as the oven will reduce it into a syrup and concentrate the flavors (for better or worse).

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
fresh chives (optional)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cauliflower, garlic and shallots with the oil in an oven-safe baking dish. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and place on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take the baking dish out. Add the vinegar and Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Return to the oven. Roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until most of the vinegar has reduced and the cheese has melted. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle fresh chives.