Butter Roasted Cauliflower

I love cauliflower.  I love to eat  it raw with dip and I love to eat it steamed with a pinch of salt and a drizzling of butter.  When I saw this recipe for Butter Roasted Cauliflower with capers, garlic, lemon, and parsley on Joy the Baker's site, I knew that my mouth was going to do a little dance.  And it did...several times in fact.  First during dinner when served with some grilled steak.  Again for lunch the next day when I reheated it and ate it by itself.  Then once again, when tossed into a green salad Leftover Queen style, but it would have also been good thrown together with some pasta.  Hmm...maybe next time.

This recipe is so simple that it feels wrong for such goodness to come from it, but that's the power of roasting.  I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  You put something ordinary into the oven, and out comes the same food, yet now its extraordinary, with the flavor enhanced, the outside browned, and the ingredients caramelized.  The recipe called for more butter than I would normally have thought to use for one dish, but I embraced the butter and went for the full-fat version with pleasure.  The recipe is called Butter Roasted Cauliflower, right?  My kids also ate this up with pleasure.  How ironic that I love cauliflower, but haven't roasted it for them before.  I guess that's what happens when its eaten up raw.  It has no chance to make it into the oven. 

Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet do a Butter Roasted Mushroom version that would be perfect for entertaining.  Highly.  Recommend.

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cauliflower, greens and stem removed, cut into equal-size florets
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place oven rack in middle position.  Toss cauliflower with capers, garlic, and olive oil and then place in roasting dish.  Add salt and pepper as desired (I sprinkled evenly with two pinches of Kosher salt and several grinds from the pepper mill.)   Evenly sprinkle with butter cubes and red pepper flakes. 

2.  Roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and spooning melted butter over florets, or until slightly browned and to desired tenderness.  Twenty minutes will be a nice tender-crisp consistency.

3.  Remove from oven and toss hot cauliflower with lemon juice and parsley.  Serve immediately. 

Recipes that needs no adaptation from Joy the Baker, Smitten Kitchen, Gourmet

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This recipe is linked to the 30th edition of Monday Mania.