Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower with Black Olives and Bread Crumbs

  • Serves

    serves 6

(Cavolfiore) At Barbuto, this simple vegetable dish is roasted in the restaurant's wood-burning oven, which gives it a slightly smoky flavor.

Ingredients

  • 23 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 23 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into large florets
  • 14 cup Italian oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°. Toast bread crumbs on a sheet pan in oven until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to let cool. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add cauliflower, stir to coat with oil, then cover with a heavy lid slightly smaller than the diameter of the skillet to weight down florets and press firmly. Cook cauliflower until dark brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking every 2 minutes or so for color. If florets get too dark too quickly, reduce heat to medium.

Step 3

Transfer skillet with lid to oven and cook until cauliflower is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 5 minutes.

Step 4

Put cauliflower and any accumulated juices into a large bowl. Add olives and bread crumbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss well and adjust seasonings.