It seems that cauliflower is having a moment. For decades this lowly forgotten vegetable was relegated to the back of the freezer section. I never had it as a child, as my mother preferred its green cousin broccoli. As far as a fresh head of the stuff, what? What do I do with this? Now it seems its having a well deserved renaissance. I have found it to be an extremely versatile vegetable. Yes, you can steam it, but you can also roast it, make salads with it, turn it into a cake, use it as a rice substitute, make tacos, pizza crust, fritters, even steaks.

But if you want to impress your company, I suggest you roast it whole and give it center stage. In this rendition a head of cauliflower is covered with lemon juice, olive oil and ground pistachios, then roasted. Once roasted a delicious pistachio cream sauce is drizzled over its crown. Cut in wedges with additional sauce and fresh parsley and listen for the ooos and ahhhs.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium to large cauliflower head, trimmed of outer leaves, leaving core in tact
• 1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachios
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 8-12 cups water to fully submerge your head of cauliflower
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

FOR PARSLEY PISTACHIO CREAM SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios
• 1/4 cup water (plus more to thin sauce if necessary)
• 1/3 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a food processor, grind 1/2 cup of the pistachios and add a few grinds of pepper, 2 teaspoons of olive oil and mix until combined. Set aside.
3. In a large stock pot, add 8-12 cups water (enough for your head of cauliflower to be completely submerged upside down in the water). Add juice from one lemon and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, submerge the cauliflower in the water upside down. Boil for 11-14 minutes or until a knife inserted into the core meets only a slight resistance. Transfer the cauliflower to a colander face up and let sit for 15 minutes to drain.
4. Place the cauliflower in an oven proof dish and drizzle 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub it all over the crown. Sprinkle with salt and a little garlic powder. Press the ground pistachios all over the crown and sides of cauliflower. Place on the middle rack of your oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and golden. If the pistachios start to get too brown, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the pistachio cream sauce. In a food processor or high speed blender, add the 1/4 cup pistachios, water, and parsley and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and process to combine. If sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired consistency is reached (you want to be able to pour it over the cauliflower).
6. Remove cauliflower from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Place on serving plate and drizzle generously with cream sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley, cut into wedges and pass additional cream sauce.

Serves 4-6 (depending on your size of cauliflower head)

“Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.”