First things first, I am not fancy despite the presentation of this Blistered Peppadew Cauliflower, which can be served straight from the sheet pan or cast iron skillet, like we do on pizza night. I’m not fancy, and this was confirmed last year at an event held at my house, a blogging event. “We’ll send a private chef if you have some friends over.” That was an easy OK. It was all great until the appetizers started rolling out. And then it got really awkward.
You see, I’m pretty picky. You wouldn’t know that because I publish the recipes I like to eat. But I say just as much by what I don’t say. “Do you have any food preferences,” they asked. I told them someone in the group was a vegetarian. It was me. I’m not a vegetarian, of course, but I’ve found that I usually like the surprise vegetarian dishes better than the surprise meat heavy dishes.
The day of, a sizable van shows up with trays and trays of food. Enough for 50 people. I was hosting a small, last minute party that got even smaller from two cancellations. The dinner I thought we were having was actually a huge charcuterie board, filling the entirety of our 6-person dining room table. If you’ve studied my recipes, you’ll notice a light dusting of cheese and meat. My dining room was liberally covered in both. Heh.
There were four of us at the party. On top having a chef, a server handed out fancy meat and cheese apps. To the four of us! Beautiful apps. The thing of Instagram’s dreams. And every time, I had to say, “No, thank you.” I’m a people pleaser, and this is the thing of my nightmares.
It got more awkward, because I ate a peppadew (a sweet piquanté pepper) for the first time and continued to finish every last one on the 72-inch board. I hope no one noticed, but based on the numbers, everyone noticed. I’m telling you this story because I’m not fancy. It also happens to be my awkward peppadew love story.
When we started working on our wood-fired pizza recipe, Kev and I went to Young Joni for research. Young Joni, owned by Ann Kim, serves some of the best pizza in Minneapolis. Though our intent was to study the pizza crust, we left vowing to recreate her wood-fired cauliflower appetizer. While her sauce recipe is composed of several different peppers, I chose to lean on one pepper—the peppadew, just like that aforementioned night.
A quick steam of the florets begins the cooking process. The cauliflower is then coated in a zippy peppadew sauce and finished under a hot oven or an even hotter wood-fired pizza oven. Serve as is, or plate with a shmear of yogurt (the creamy tartness is so welcomed), plus a heavy handed dusting of chopped curly parsley and walnuts.
An awkward night, a love story, and the birth of something really good—the long story short.
A blistered cauliflower appetizer coated in a peppadew sauce with a hit of heat, sweetness, and zippy from the vinegar. Serve straight off the pan or the fancy way—over a bed of yogurt. This is what we serve at the start of pizza night
Ingredients
Scale
Cauliflower:
1 medium head of cauliflower
Peppadew Sauce:
1/2 c. jarred peppadews (about 10 peppers)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
heaping 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
dash of dried thyme
a couple cracks of fresh pepper
Optional Garnish:
shmear of plain whole milk yogurt
chopped fresh curly parsley
chopped walnuts (toast if desired)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Chop the cauliflower into florets, and place in a steamer basket fitted inside a saucepan. Add 1-inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover, turn to high heat, and steam for 5 minutes, no longer. (Note: steaming helps to begin the cooking process while also hydrating the vegetable to keep it from drying out under the high heat. This also allows the florets to caramelize. Onions, for example, have plenty of water to aide in caramelization, but cauliflower needs a little help. This method works for broccoli, carrots, and other sturdy vegetables.)
Meanwhile, make the Peppadew Sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. This can be made a week in advance.
Onto the prepared baking sheet, add the steamed cauliflower and sauce, stirring to evenly coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until caramelized and slightly charred, stirring half way through. Taste and add more salt as needed. Serve warm as is.
Or, add garnishes. Place a light shmear of yogurt on a plate. Top with cauliflower and a dusting of parsley and walnuts.
Notes
To cook in a pizza oven, follow the steaming and sauce instructions. Then place the coated cauliflower in a cast iron skillet and cook until charred. Remove from oven to stir halfway through. Cook times will vary based on the heat of the oven. In a 900°F oven, it takes about 10 minutes.
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
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I am excited to try this recipe. When I was at Young Joni in December they had taken the cauliflower dish off the menu and I nearly LOST MY MIND. I live in Austin, TX now so I had not been to YJ in five months. The cauliflower dish and the broccolini pizza were my favorite things on the menu (I’m vegetarian). I ate them weekly when I lived there. I hope the cauli is on the menu again by the time I’m back in Mpls. in June. In the meantime, I’ll try this recipe. Thank you!
I made this (without the yogurt) and it was delicious. I think I over-steamed my cauli, so it didn’t get as crisp (plus, wasn’t working with a wood-fired pizza oven), but the sauce is delicious and even my bf, who doesn’t like cauli, ate it up. And the cold leftovers the next day tasted like the “Italian dressing” pasta salad of my dreams! I’m wondering if I can skip the oven and just steam it and then leave it soaking in the dressing and make as a cold/room temp summer side salad. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Love that story Melissa! I always appreciate the honesty. And that recipe looks amazing. I love cauliflower and usually just bake with olive oil and salt so I’m excited to jazz it up with this recipe. 🙂
My initial thought was “this looks so fancy,” but Iove how, really, it’s not. Also, GREAT awkward story! I’m a people pleaser myself so I’d likely have crawled under the table.
Oh, great question. I mentioned it slightly in the post but I’ll go back and add more detail. (I talk about this in my new book as well!) Roasting at high temperatures, without steaming first, can sometimes dehydrate the vegetable unless you use loads of oil or a sauce and stir often to make sure the vegetable stays hydrated. Steaming begins the cooking process, infusing just enough water in the vegetable to keep it from drying out. This allows for plenty of time to caramelize in the hot oven. This is true for broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and other sturdy vegetables.
I am excited to try this recipe. When I was at Young Joni in December they had taken the cauliflower dish off the menu and I nearly LOST MY MIND. I live in Austin, TX now so I had not been to YJ in five months. The cauliflower dish and the broccolini pizza were my favorite things on the menu (I’m vegetarian). I ate them weekly when I lived there. I hope the cauli is on the menu again by the time I’m back in Mpls. in June. In the meantime, I’ll try this recipe. Thank you!
This looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try it! Pinned it! Thanks!
Love this method for caramelized cauli! PS new to your blog – havin’ lots of fun browsing over here! – meredith
I made this (without the yogurt) and it was delicious. I think I over-steamed my cauli, so it didn’t get as crisp (plus, wasn’t working with a wood-fired pizza oven), but the sauce is delicious and even my bf, who doesn’t like cauli, ate it up. And the cold leftovers the next day tasted like the “Italian dressing” pasta salad of my dreams! I’m wondering if I can skip the oven and just steam it and then leave it soaking in the dressing and make as a cold/room temp summer side salad. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Love that story Melissa! I always appreciate the honesty. And that recipe looks amazing. I love cauliflower and usually just bake with olive oil and salt so I’m excited to jazz it up with this recipe. 🙂
where to buy peppadew peppers that do not cost 12/jar at Amazon?
My initial thought was “this looks so fancy,” but Iove how, really, it’s not. Also, GREAT awkward story! I’m a people pleaser myself so I’d likely have crawled under the table.
bahaha i can completely see that whole story happening and it was HILARIOUS. sorry for that awkward experience but glad you found your new love 😀
Can’t wait to try these!
ha! what an experience, at least it led to this gorgeous recipe!
Can’t wait to try these!
Why is it necessary to steam the cauliflower first?
Oh, great question. I mentioned it slightly in the post but I’ll go back and add more detail. (I talk about this in my new book as well!) Roasting at high temperatures, without steaming first, can sometimes dehydrate the vegetable unless you use loads of oil or a sauce and stir often to make sure the vegetable stays hydrated. Steaming begins the cooking process, infusing just enough water in the vegetable to keep it from drying out. This allows for plenty of time to caramelize in the hot oven. This is true for broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and other sturdy vegetables.