Whereas cauliflower is a flexible vegetable, I frequently gravitate in path of thick wedges basted in a scrumptious sauce, equal to this chile-walnut cauliflower. The cool-weather vegetable turns proper right into a youthful bit, absorbing each little little bit of favor.
Chile Walnut Cauliflower
I uncover it pure to pair cauliflower with walnuts as seasoning; they line up inside the autumn. The marginally tannic walnuts are a pleasant pairing for the fragile brassicas’ model. Add chile and a bit of bit little little bit of purple miso, and it’s only a safe mixture.
Cauliflower alternate decisions
In the interim of yr, I typically put collectively dinner candy potatoes, winter squash, or broccoli in an an identical methodology to this cauliflower. Lower your chosen vegetable into ½”-thick wedges, steam till merely tender, and observe the directions for the cauliflower.
Inspiration
This walnut paste is deeply impressed by the ssamjang recipe in Hooni Kim’s nice e-book, My Korea. In Kim’s ssamjang recipe, he used doenjang (Korean soybean paste), gochujang, sesame seeds, sesame oil, walnuts, and scallions.
Someday I used to be craving the ssamjang nonetheless had run out of doenjang. I went with what I had, which was purple miso. The consequence was scrumptious in its personal technique and made the right punchy companion for this charred cauliflower.
Chile-walnut Paste
This walnut paste is type of versatile. You presumably can braise or roast completely completely different greens and coat them inside the combination, make a veggie-heavy sandwich and use it as a ramification together with a bit of bit little little bit of mayo, stir it into some cashew cream to make a stunning dip, or use it with easy noodles and wilted greens. Retailer it in an hermetic container contained in the fridge for as so much as 5 days.
Chile-Walnut Paste
- 3 tablespoons (20 g) toasted and finely chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) purple miso
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) walnut oil
- 1 (20 g) small shallot (minced)
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Scallions for topping
For the cauliflower: Trim off the leaves and a small a part of the stem, leaving as masses stem intact as doable. Lower the cauliflower into 8 wedges, guaranteeing to incorporate a part of the stem in every wedge. Don’t fear if devices fall off—use them too. Warmth about 1 inch of water in an infinite pot fitted with a steamer basket over medium-high warmth. Place the cauliflower contained in the basket, cowl, and put collectively dinner till a knife pierces the cauliflower with out hesitation, about 4-5 minutes. Rigorously take away the cauliflower from the basket, place on an infinite oven-safe skillet (forged iron works good correct proper right here), and brush with olive oil. Swap to a pizza oven or an oven rack with a preheated broiler, cooking till the cauliflower is charred.
For the chile-walnut paste: Place all the substances in a small bowl and stir to mix. Alternatively, throughout the event you’d like a smoother paste, use a mortar and pestle or a meals processor to mix all the gadgets collectively.
For the scallions: Correct proper right here’s one completely different technique I picked up from Kim’s e-book. Begin by thinly slicing the scallions on a bias. Place them in a colander and run beneath chilly water for a couple of minutes to rinse off any slime, then change to a clear towel. Gently dry the scallions together with you would possibly, then change to a separate towel to air-dry for 10 additional minutes. If prepping the scallions upfront, retailer them contained in the fridge with a small towel or paper towel in a sealed container.
To assemble: Unfold the walnut paste excessive sides of the cauliflower. Flip, and repeat on the choice sides. If any florets break off, toss them contained in the paste as correctly. Swap the cauliflower to a serving bowl and prime with the scallions.