Cauliflower Piccata

Ingredients: 

• One head cauliflower 

• 1 tsp garlic powder 

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp black pepper 

• 2 Tbs olive oil, plus more for coating cauliflower 

• 2 Tbs capers, strained 

• 2 Tbs panko breadcrumbs 

• ¼ c flat-leaf parsley (no stems)

• ¼ c pecorino or parmesan (grated)

• Juice of ½ lemon 

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 400*. 

Cut your head of cauliflower into ½ inch steaks, keeping the root intact. Some of them will break up into smaller pieces and that's okay; you’ll likely be able to get 2-3 solid steaks of cauliflower from the center of the head. Cover the steaks in a generous coating of olive oil then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; roast in the oven for about 10 minutes before flipping your pieces over and roasting another ten minutes. You’re looking for the cauliflower to be fork-tender and nicely browned/caramelized before you remove it. 

While the cauliflower is roasting, get the topping going. It’s really simple. Start by heating up your 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan until it ripples a bit. Add strained capers and fry them until they start to split and get frizzled. Add panko breadcrumbs. These will soak up a lot of that oil and your kitchen will quiet down as this slows the cooking. DON’T WALK AWAY. Panko loves to burn when you’re not looking. Keep a close eye on these, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once they get nice and brown and toasty, remove them from heat and set them aside in a bowl. Chop your parsley, grate the cheese and halve your lemon so everything is ready for assembly as soon as the cauliflower comes out of the oven. 

Plate the cauliflower and make it rain cheese! Then add the rest of the topping as you like - caper/ breadcrumb mixture, parsley, and lemon for a refreshing bit of zestiness. Enjoy! 

Serves 4 as a side.