Ingredients
- 100g (3 1/2oz) day-old wholemeal bread, or other bread of your choice ( I used panko instead)
- 1 cauliflower, stem trimmed
- 20g butter
- handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ lemon
For the paprika butter
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 70g butter, softened
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Put the bread in the bowl of a food processor and blitz for a few seconds to a chunky crumb. Set aside, until needed. Or use Panko
- Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C.
- In a large steamer basket set over a pan of gently simmering water cook the cauliflower for 6-8 mins, until just tender when pierced with a knife. Alternatively, cook the cauliflower in a saucepan of boiling water until just tender 5-6 mins, making sure to drain well and pat dry before placing in the oven.
- Meanwhile, combine the paprika butter ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a roasting tin and spread with the paprika butter; season well. Roast for 20-25 mins, basting with the cauliflower juices halfway through, until golden.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a frying pan. Add the breadcrumbs and fry until lightly toasted and golden; season. Remove and leave to cool, then mix with the parsley.
- Squeeze the lemon over the cauliflower. Scatter over the breadcrumb mixture and leave to soak into the buttery juices before serving.
Method
So it is Sunday, and the full family is still in lockdown residence. Being an old-fashioned sort, Sunday still means a roast to me with roast potatoes etc. The potatoes and gravy are the real reason for the show, but you still need something to "carve". For most of the family this can be animal derived protein, but not the Eldest as she is a practising Veggie still (nearly a year now) and so I need to fin some alternative for her if I am to get away with it without tantrums.
I had a cauliflower in stock and as you may know from elsewhere, have a continuing journey to find acceptable ways to cook it. The popcorn cauliflower is a great success and after today I think we can count this as one too. Of course the crispy breadcrumbs drenched in smoked paprika and garlic might have something to do with it, but the cauliflower caries them off well, looks suitably meaty for a sunday lunch, and the flavour goes well with the trimmings. All in all a success