Garlic-Parmesan Crusted Romanesco Cauliflower

Romanesco Cauliflower is probably the most interesting looking vegetable I've ever seen. The vibrant color, pointy florets and bumps add so much charm. I received two heads in my CSA share a few weeks ago, and spend hours (I'm not even kidding) looking for recipes to do this vegetable justice. I wanted the shape and color to stay in tact, so chopping it to pieces wasn't an option. Then I remembered using a technique on artichokes that would work well. I roasted a few heads of garlic with olive oil, smashed them with some Parmesan and slathered it on to create this delicious crust.  I think a drizzle of balsamic or a tomato chutney for dipping would take this dish even further, but we loved it as it too.

Garlic-Parmesan Crusted Romanesco Cauliflower

3 heads of garlic

1 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

2 heads of Romanesco Cauliflower

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 425*

Slice the top 1/4 off the heads of garlic, place them on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, pinch up sides of foil to create a sealed packet, place on a baking sheet and into the oven.

While garlic roasts, steam cauliflower.

Prep the cauliflower by stemming, removing leaves, and washing well. 

Place in a pot, add 1" of water and heat over high.

Bring water to a boil, steam cauliflower for 5 minutes, until tender, turn heat off and set aside (keep the lid on and let it continue to steam/stay warm).

Add butter and parmesan to a small mixing bowl.

Take cauliflower out of pot and place in a baking dish that will hold cauliflower snugly.

After an hour, remove garlic from the oven and cool for a few minutes, then squeeze roasted cloves out into mixing bowl with cheese, use a fork to mash and stir well. 

Slather cauliflower with garlic mixture.

Turn broiler on low, place cauliflower under and broil for 3-5 minutes, keep your eye on it the entire time, and remove if it's too brown.

Serve immediately.