One of my favorite places in New York City to grab a quick bite is Miznon in the Chelsea Market. They have wonderful pita sandwiches and incredible vegetable side dishes. Whenever I go there, I order the whole roasted baby cauliflower. They are famous for it, and it is absolutely delicious. Eyal Shani, the Israeli chef-owner of Miznon, generously shares his recipe for the cauliflower online. It is so simple and has quickly become one of my favorite side dishes to prepare at home.
When I was working on the photo shoot for this recipe with my photographer Belen, she shared with me that when she was living in Spain, her house mom always cooked whole heads of cauliflower. It was similar to this version with olive oil and sea salt, but they served it with vinegar. After Belen finished shooting the cauliflower we sat down to enjoy it with a side of vinegar. It was a wonderful addition to an already delicious dish. I highly recommend trying it with this recipe.
Roasted Cauliflower – Miznon Style
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 small head of cauliflower
Sea salt
Maldon sea salt flakes, or other coarse brand
Olive oil
Vinegar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500.
- Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 3 Tablespoons of sea salt, stir to dissolve.
- Wash the cauliflower and cut the base so it stands upright, keeping the leaves intact.
- Place the head of cauliflower in the boiling water.
- Place the lid of a pot or a ceramic plate on top of the cauliflower to keep it submerged.
- Boil for 7-9 minutes or until a knife inserted in the cauliflower meets some resistance at the middle.
- Place the hot cauliflower on a sheet pan and allow to cool until you no longer see steam coming off of it. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
- Rub the cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil and Maldon sea salt flakes.
- Serve alone or with your favorite vinegar.
- Eat the leaves too!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
