Grilled Cauliflower with Capers and Preserved Lemon

If you read my last post, you've already heard me waxing poetic about the virtues of preserved lemons. I'm a huge fan, and I love the way their salty sour flavor perks up all kinds of dishes.

But, one of my favorite ways to use preserved lemons during the summer months is in a simple dressing made with olive oil and capers. It's salty and tangy and bright. And it's perfect for any time of the year.

It's he perfect addition to a number of dishes -- but it's really perfect stirred into a big bowl of buttery grilled cauliflower.

If you've never grilled cauliflower, you're in for a treat. Like roasting, grilling brings out all the delicious sweetness of the vegetables. But, if you grill over charcoal or hardwood, the process also also adds a smoky element that really makes an impressive flavor statement.

Add the zing from preserved lemons and capers, and you've got something really special.

This dish makes the perfect accompaniment for hearty grilled meats like lamb, pork or steak. The dressing is also delicious served atop a filet of grilled fish or chicken, or stirred into a batch of potato salad.

Grilled Cauliflower with Capers and Preserved Lemon

There are more great recipes where this one came from! We created this dish as part of our work with the Go Bold with Butter blog, where you'll find an amazing collection of delicious recipes using real butter.

©BURP!

The Best of Burp! 2012

 Difficult to believe we're coming to the end of another great year. As it gets to be this time, we always find ourselves looking back, reflecting, and planning for what's ahead -- and that includes a whole new look for 2013. We've been working with a friend and very talented graphic designer, Noel Tanner, to revamp our logo and give the site a bit of a new look in 2013.  If you want a preview, check out our new icon on Facebook. Otherwise, just stay tuned.

In the meantime, we'd like to thank you for your readership, your comments, and your feedback. Burp! wouldn't couldn't exist without you!

As a thanks to all of you, we figured we'd share the top 12 posts on Burp! from 2012 (in order of popularity) ... just in case you missed them.

Top 12 Posts of 2012
These are in order of popularity, # 1 being the most popular post.

1. Crockpot Turkey Meatloaf and Lessons Learned
2. Sweet and Spicy Butter Roasted Chickpeas
3. Roasted Radishes with Tarragon Butter
4. Kicking off Grilled Cheese Month: Melthouse Bistro
5. St. Patrick's Day Recipes
6. No Fuss Spiral Sliced Ham with Pineapple Chutney
7. Coffee Rubbed Ribeye with Chipotle Butter
8. Wonton Crisps - Four Ways
9. Roasted Cauliflower with Rosemary Browned Butter
10. Uses for Sumac: Za'atar Potatoes
11. Easy Baked Chimichangas
12. Creamed Celeriac Soup with Potatoes, Sausage, and Kale 
    

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As always, we're always listening and open to your feedback.  What was YOUR favorite post? What would you like to see more of in 2013?

©BURP! 

Easter Dishes: Roasted Cauliflower with Rosemary Browned Butter and Lemon

 I think it’s a shame that side dishes are so often overlooked at the holiday table. We spend all of our time obsessing over perfecting our roasted turkey, getting the perfect crust on our rib roast, or stunning our guests with the most tender and flavorful ham.  


Meanwhile, we settle for the same old sides – mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and blah heat-and-serve dinner rolls.

The perception is that truly great side dishes take a wealth of time.  But, the fact of the matter is, many of the most delicious dishes require only a few high quality ingredients, and just minutes of preparation time.  Take, for instance, this stunning roasted cauliflower dish.

Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you’d think of for cauliflower, but the delicious results make it worth remembering. There is something magical that happens when cauliflower is tossed with oil and roasted in high dry heat.   Its sugars caramelize and a deep browning occurs that results in a deliciously nutty flavor.

Paired with the woodsy aroma of fresh rosemary, the nuttiness of browned butter, and the pleasing acidity of fresh lemon juice, this simple side dish will be the star of your Easter table.

Roasted Cauliflower with Rosemary Browned Butter and Lemon

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage

Autumn in Wisconsin is a glorious and fickle time of the year.  It generally begins quite mildly with breezy but sunny days and cool evenings. But, as October winds pull the last of the burnt umber leaves from the trees, the weather takes a turn.  Days turn cooler. Evenings become crisp. By November, chilly rains, reminiscent of early spring, bid even the outdoorsy folks among us to seek solace in the warmth of our homes.

I'm a huge fan of this time of the year -- not only of the ever-changing weather, but also the metamorphosis that autumn sets into motion. Plants give off their fruit. Flowers go to seed. Dried leaves crumble beneath our feet. The chlorophyll in our garden plants degrades, revealing stunning yellow and orange pigments.  We marvel at the unexpectedly bright colors of death, as the world enters into its slumber, preparing for the stark silence of winter.

However, despite the beauty and bounty that late summer and autumn brings, I sometimes find myself at a loss in the kitchen. There are no tomatoes littering my counter, needing to be used.  No end-of-season produce from the garden begging to be turned into weeknight meals.  I no longer have to keep up the lively, reactive pace of canning and preserving. And sometimes I find myself uninspired.

Fortunately, there is always something that comes along to pull me out of my cooking funk.  This dish, for instance, was inspired by an unusually brilliant head of freshly picked local organic cauliflower -- stunningly white, with compact florets surrounded by a wreath of green leaves.

While I adore the simplicity of steamed cauliflower -- drizzled with a simple mustard sauce or spritzed with citrus -- I absolutely can't resist the toasted caramelized flavors that roasting brings to the table.  So, after a liberal douse of olive oil, into the oven went the cauliflower.

 Since the sweetness of cauliflower pairs so famously with cheese, and because I was craving something with a strong profile, I decided upon a simple cream sauce flavored with rosemary and gorgonzola. 

Although this dish would be lovely as a vegetarian main, we happened to have a few smoked sausages in the refrigerator that needed to be used.  And they turned out to be a perfectly complementary addition.  Their salty, smoky flavor accentuated the sweetness of the cauliflower and pulled the herbal flavors of the rosemary right to the forefront.

Save this pasta dish for a cool autumn evening when the cold winds beckon you to the warmth of home.

Pasta with Creamy Blue Cheese Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower and Sausage



©BURP! Where Food Happens

Don't be a Jerk, Tofu.

When Peef's brother and his family moved to Antigua, we didn't really think it would give us any particular culinary advantages. In fact, we were more worried about things like "When will we see you again?" and "What's the weather like?" and "When can we visit?" than "What sorts of foodstuffs will you bring back for us when you come home on furlough?"

Silly, silly Peef and Lo.

This past July, John and Alex came home. And they brought us a scad of fantastic local delicacies. Antiguan rum, guava jelly, johnny cake mix, Caribbean hot sauce, mango-pineapple wine, tamarind wine ... and a jar of jerk sauce.

Now, we love a good jerk. And we have (what we consider) a pretty durned good recipe for it. So, we were eager to see how the jarred sauce measured up.

But, that doesn't mean that we broke into our stash immediately. In fact, when it comes to new and exciting things I'm a bit of a hoarder. I was the kid who rationed her new school clothes so that they lasted AT LEAST until the middle of November. And I'm still the gal who loves to stash exciting new chocolate bars into the cupboard to eat... on that special occasion.

So, we didn't get around to trying out the jerk until... just a couple of weeks ago.
I decided we'd go for a nice healthy meal -- a bit of jerked tofu with some roasted cauliflower and onions -- for starters.

Upon opening the jark of jerk, Peef took a whiff. "Wha-hoo!" he snorted, as his eyes began to water "I think it's gonna be hot."

Of course, that warning only served as an invitation for me to force my whole nose down into the container to get a nice sniff. I got a little on the tip of my nose, which I promptly wiped off. But, the burn... oh, the burn. This was going to be some good stuff.

We mixed together that excrutiating sauce with a bit of olive oil...
...and slathered the 12 ounces of cubed tofu. We left no cube un-jerked. In fact, the screams (and slew of profanities) emanating from the processed soy product were almost intolerable. It actually made us feel badly for a moment or two. But, ultimately, we smiled sadistically and threw the tofu (not violently, of course) into the fridge for a nice 24 hour marinade.
The next day, the tortured tofu, which was now feeling slightly suicidal, eagerly submitted to the firey depths of our roasty oven (425º convection roast) for about 25 minutes or so, alongside the (infinitely LESS eager) cauliflower and onions. And the crispified delights that greeted our eyes were absolutely stunning.
... and friggin' hot to boot.
We took our first bites. Yes, indeed. This jerk was the real thing. A bit saltier than our recipe... and quite a bit hotter. We bathed our mouths in a swig of nice cold beer... and then went in for second bites. And thirds.

Oh, yeah.

We have about a quarter cup of the sauce left to try on another 12 ounces of unsuspecting tofu. And after that, it's back to the test kitchen with our personal recipe. I'm thinking we'll up the scotch bonnets from 2 peppers to 3, for starters. Cuz mo' hotter is mo' better as far as we're concerned.

Burp! Jerk


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Glorious Cauliflower & Penne Gratin

When the wind howls and the snow flies, I always find myself thinking back to the warmer days of autumn, when the farmer's market was still offering up its bounty, and the process of cooking was more about what was fresh and "in season" than what was left in the freezer.

This is one of those days. Well, kind of. The snow isn't exactly flying. But, things are pretty well iced over, and the wind is blowing briskly enough to make 20º feel somewhere below zero.

Fortunately, I was rummaging through some old photos, and I happened upon a few great finds from early November.

On this particular Saturday, we were lucky enough to find some gorgeous petite heads of cheddar (orange) and purple cauliflower. I picked them up for color alone, but deep down, I also knew that these babies pack a nutritional punch. The cheddar cauliflower, which originally hails from Canada, contains at least 25% more Vitamin A than your typical, garden-variety, white cauliflower. Meanwhile, the purple variety gets its color from the same antioxidant that gives red wine its color and added health bennies. Pretty impressive.Anyhow, I'd run across a recipe for a baked penne dish with Comte cheese and creme fraiche in a recent Bon Appetit magazine, and I thought I'd give the concept a go. Since we're such fans of cauliflower in its roasted form, I figured we'd go that route, rather than steaming it.
Since fresh tomatoes were long gone, I also opted for mixing in a small can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, which I figured would add an additional layer of flavor. Some green onions also served to add a bit of bite.
Combine the veg with a creamy cheese sauce made with Harvest Moon Cheddar from Castle Rock Farms (a great little organic dairy in Osseo, WI), a bit of Wisconsin parmesan, and a healthy dollop of creme fraiche, and the dish began to take shape.
After baking for about 35 minutes, the top was crusty and golden, and the cheese was getting bubbly... just the way we like it.
A quick spoon into the casserole assured me that this was a winner. Not only was it colorful, but it was tasty too. The creaminess of the tangy creme fraiche paired nicely with the cheddar, and together it really complemented the nuttiness of the squash.
Combined with a nice green salad, this made a hearty main course perfectly fit for a brisk autumn day. Heck, even with the plain old white cauliflower in the middle of January, this would make a nice vegetarian main course.

Cheesy Baked Penne with Roasted Cauliflower and Creme Fraiche


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Crisp Roasted Curried Cauliflower with Tofu

We are huge fans of roasted vegetables. The heat of summer normally horns in on our desire to heat up the kitchen with anything close to a 400º oven. But, on cooler days, we can make an exception. And thank goodness!

One of the things we most love to roast is cauliflower. Seems a bit of high heat does wonders for the sweetness of this vegetable. Not to mention giving it a lovely caramelized color.

Add a few colorful spices, and you're on your way to something wonderful.
Once everything is mixed together, you just slide the seasoned vegetables into their luxury tanning bed...
And WA-LA! They come out looking rather spectacular!
This cauliflower is a splendiforous departure from some of the other treatments for late-summer cauliflower. It combines the warm, sensual aromas of Indian curry with the ease of a one-pot dinner.

And the leftovers... ah! the leftovers! They're almost better than the first time around. Wrap a spoonful up in a pita for a quick sandwich. Add a splash of cream and whir in the blender for a quick, creamy soup. Or just do as I do, and eat it cold, straight from the fridge. Oh, and those of you making icky faces and "boo-ing" need to try it before judging too harshly :)

I like throwing tofu in this dish. But, you can easily make it without. It's also great with a bit of cooked chicken, or as a side dish with a more expansive Indian feast.

We served this with a side of fresh radish raita -- a simple mixture of yogurt, minced radishes and cucumbers, red wine vinegar, chopped fresh mint, and a pinch of salt. It cut the heat of the dish nicely, and gave the hot cauliflower a nice, cool, summer crunch.Crisp Roasted Curried Cauliflower with (or without) Tofu

©BURP! Where Food Happens