Whereas cauliflower is a versatile vegetable, I on a regular basis gravitate in path of thick wedges basted in a delicious sauce, equal to this chile-walnut cauliflower. The cool-weather vegetable turns right into a younger bit, absorbing every little little bit of style.
Chile Walnut Cauliflower
I uncover it pure to pair cauliflower with walnuts as seasoning; they line up inside the fall. The marginally tannic walnuts are a nice pairing for the delicate brassicas’ style. Add chile and a little bit little bit of purple miso, and it is just a secure combination.
Cauliflower alternate choices
For the time being of yr, I sometimes put together dinner sweet potatoes, winter squash, or broccoli in an identical methodology to this cauliflower. Decrease your chosen vegetable into ½”-thick wedges, steam until merely tender, and observe the instructions for the cauliflower.
Inspiration
This walnut paste is deeply impressed by the ssamjang recipe in Hooni Kim’s great e-book, My Korea. In Kim’s ssamjang recipe, he used doenjang (Korean soybean paste), gochujang, sesame seeds, sesame oil, walnuts, and scallions.
Sometime I was craving the ssamjang nonetheless had run out of doenjang. I went with what I had, which was purple miso. The result was delicious in its private method and made the proper punchy companion for this charred cauliflower.
Chile-walnut Paste
This walnut paste is form of versatile. You presumably can braise or roast totally different greens and coat them inside the mix, make a veggie-heavy sandwich and use it as a ramification along with a little bit little bit of mayo, stir it into some cashew cream to make a shocking dip, or use it with simple noodles and wilted greens. Retailer it in an airtight container inside the fridge for as a lot as 5 days.
Cauliflower
- ¾ pound cauliflower (about half of an enormous head)
- Olive oil for brushing
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 part of the stem, leaving as loads stem intact as doable. Decrease the cauliflower into 8 wedges, guaranteeing to include part of the stem in each wedge. Don’t worry if gadgets fall off—use them too. Heat about 1 inch of water in an enormous pot fitted with a steamer basket over medium-high heat. Place the cauliflower inside the basket, cowl, and put together dinner until a knife pierces the cauliflower with out hesitation, about 4-5 minutes. Rigorously take away the cauliflower from the basket, place on an enormous oven-safe skillet (cast iron works good proper right here), and brush with olive oil. Swap to a pizza oven or an oven rack with a preheated broiler, cooking until the cauliflower is charred.
For the chile-walnut paste: Place all of the substances in a small bowl and stir to combine. Alternatively, within the occasion you’d like a smoother paste, use a mortar and pestle or a meals processor to combine all of the items collectively.
For the scallions: Proper right here’s one different method I picked up from Kim’s e-book. Start by thinly slicing the scallions on a bias. Place them in a colander and run beneath chilly water for a few minutes to rinse off any slime, then change to a transparent towel. Gently dry the scallions along with you might, then change to a separate towel to air-dry for 10 further minutes. If prepping the scallions upfront, retailer them inside the fridge with a small towel or paper towel in a sealed container.
To assemble: Unfold the walnut paste extreme sides of the cauliflower. Flip, and repeat on the alternative sides. If any florets break off, toss them inside the paste as properly. Swap the cauliflower to a serving bowl and prime with the scallions.