Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Grilled Cauliflower with Fresno Chili & Chimmichurri

I was lucky enough to be in the kitchen on assignment for The Local Palate when this recipe was being conceptualized and created by Chef Kelly English of Restaurant Iris and The Second Line. You see, as a food photographer who also happens to be a vegetarian, I don't get to eat much of what I shoot. I pick and taste when I can, but for Chef English's article about eating only vegetables for a month, I got to pig out!

Not only did he make this smoky, grilled cauliflower, but also charred okra with yogurt, and quinoa tartare with chanterelles. I was in vegetarian-food-photographer heaven. These dishes have made it into the rotation at our house, but the bright chimmichurri  in the following recipe gets spooned onto everything: salads, grilled avocados, and roasted winter squash. 

You can find the balance of these recipes in The Local Palate's recipe archive, which even sports a vegetarian and vegan button in order to sort out recipes you might want to try for Meatless Monday or whenever you're feeling like you need something green on your plate. 

Grilled Cauliflower with Fresno Chili & Chimmichurri

¼ cup thinly sliced cilantro leaves
¼ cup thinly sliced parsley leaves
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
½ cup + 4 tablespoons olive oil 
1 teaspoon cumin
1 head cauliflower, cut into four slices
2 Fresno chilies, roasted and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chili paste
Salt and black pepper 


To make chimmichurri, in a mixing bowl, mix together cilantro, parsley, green onion, lime juice, vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, and cumin. Season mixture with salt and pepper.

Heat your outdoor grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Coat cauliflower with remaining 4 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender (about 4 minutes per side).

To serve, arrange cauliflower on a serving platter. Sprinkle with Fresno slices and top with the chimmichurri. Serve with chili paste on the side. (Serves 2.)

4 comments:

Santana said...

Perfect dish for my diet! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Reese said...

Just to give you some report, made it this morning. Absolutely love the taste of grilled cauliflower with chilli. A perfect combination I would say. Thanks for the recipe.

Regards,
Reese

Jane Miller said...

Grilled cauliflower and chili paste sounds tastyy.

Reese said...

Second time down and around your blog. I want to live in your vegetarian paradiso. One can never go wrong with grilled cauliflower but the chimmichurri combo seems to pull all the right strings in my vegetarian heart.