Cauliflower should be your new best vegetable friend, especially this lemony red chile version. It’s chock full of antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamins C, K, and B6. If that isn’t enough, it’s a culinary chameleon – happy to take on just about any flavors you throw at it. Roasted with lots of lemon zest and finished with a drizzle of Meyer Lemon Oil from the Santa Fe Olive Oil & Balsamic Co., all it needs is our take on a pesto made with New Mexico pistachios, lots of cilantro, and a kick of red chile heat from Santa Fe Olive Oil’s Red Chile Oil. It’s made with locally grown chile and extra virgin Spanish olive oil and full of smoky, spicy flavor.
Lemony Cauliflower with Red Chile Cilantro Pesto
Description
Lemon and spice make everything nice!
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 1 lemon (divided use)
- 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped (leaves and stems) cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup pistachios
- 1 tsp Santa Fe Olive Oil & Balsamic Company Red Chile Oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the cauliflower:
- 1 small-medium head of cauliflower, about 1 ¾ lb
- 2 ½ tbsp olive oil
- Zest from one lemon
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp Santa Fe Olive Oil Company Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
- Chopped cilantro, to garnish
- Chopped pistachios, to garnish
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Zest the lemon and set aside to use when roasting the cauliflower. Juice the lemon and place the juice, cilantro, garlic, pistachios, red chile oil, and salt in the base of the small bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until a rough paste is formed.
- Add the olive oil. The mixture should be spoonable. If it’s too thick add more olive oil. Taste and add more red chile oil if you’d like it hotter and salt, if needed.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the cauliflower:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the outer ribs from the cauliflower, discard any damaged ones and chop the remaining ones into bite-size pieces. Remove the florets from the core. Keep any small florets whole and slice the larger ones in half or quarters. Discard the core, although my dog loves to eat it.
- Rinse the florets and ribs and place them in an ovenproof dish that is large enough to hold them in one layer. Drizzle the regular olive oil over the vegetables, season liberally with salt and pepper, and add the finely grated lemon zest. Give it a gentle toss with your hands or tongs and place it in the preheated oven.
- Roast for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked through and browned on the edges. Every ten minutes or so, give it a stir so the cauliflower cooks evenly.
- When the cauliflower is done, remove it from the oven. Just before serving drizzle it with the lemon olive oil, place it on a platter and top with a generous spoonfuls of the pesto. Garnish with the cilantro and pistachios and serve hot or at room temperature.
- Any leftover pesto can be stored in a clean glass jar, topped with olive oil, and refrigerated.
Try a cocktail that also showcases local ingredients, the New Mexico-Style Bloody Mary.
Recipe and Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce
TABLE Magazine New Mexico’s SOURCE section is created with the support of Ricky Allen and Tara Earley Real Estate Group. SOURCE finds the best locally made ingredients and artisanal products, as well as locally available luxuries for fashion and home. Ricky and Tara join us in our support of local businesses.
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