Cauliflower Salad with Cranberries and Pistachios
By Morgan BollingPublished on January 29, 2019
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
When shopping, look for cauliflower with no leaves attached to the base of the head. Alternatively, if you can find only cauliflower with many leaves still attached, buy a slightly larger head (about 2¼ pounds). Kitchen shears make easy work of cutting the cauliflower florets away from the core, but you can use a paring knife if you prefer. For the best results, be sure to use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Toast the pistachios in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves from cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom of head. Flip cauliflower stem side up. Using kitchen shears, cut around stem and core to remove large florets. Chop core coarse and set aside. Cut florets through stems into 1-inch pieces (you should have about 6 cups florets).
- Toss florets, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and roast until florets are tender and browned on bottoms, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- While florets are roasting, combine cranberries, shallot, lemon zest and juice, fennel, remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl; set aside.
- Transfer core to food processor and process until finely chopped, 10 to 20 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to bowl with dressing. Add parsley and mint to now-empty processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, 5 to 7 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to bowl with dressing.
- Add florets and pistachios to bowl with dressing mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to platter and serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Cauliflower's delicate flavor makes it an ideal canvas for a vibrant, fresh salad. We started by roasting florets from one head of cauliflower until caramelized. Instead of discarding the core, we blitzed it in the food processor and added it to the salad for a contrasting grain-like texture. A quick lemon vinaigrette and lots of chopped parsley and mint made this salad bright. To play up the cauliflower's natural sweetness, we stirred in a sweet and savory mix of minced shallot and tart dried cranberries. Ground fennel added another layer of complexity, and toasted pistachios provided a light crunch.
Before You Begin
When shopping, look for cauliflower with no leaves attached to the base of the head. Alternatively, if you can find only cauliflower with many leaves still attached, buy a slightly larger head (about 2¼ pounds). Kitchen shears make easy work of cutting the cauliflower florets away from the core, but you can use a paring knife if you prefer. For the best results, be sure to use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil here. Toast the pistachios in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves from cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom of head. Flip cauliflower stem side up. Using kitchen shears, cut around stem and core to remove large florets. Chop core coarse and set aside. Cut florets through stems into 1-inch pieces (you should have about 6 cups florets).
- Toss florets, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and roast until florets are tender and browned on bottoms, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- While florets are roasting, combine cranberries, shallot, lemon zest and juice, fennel, remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl; set aside.
- Transfer core to food processor and process until finely chopped, 10 to 20 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to bowl with dressing. Add parsley and mint to now-empty processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, 5 to 7 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed; transfer to bowl with dressing.
- Add florets and pistachios to bowl with dressing mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to platter and serve.
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