Let's Dish

Many of our meals are one-dish wonders: soups, chicken pot pies, pasta dishes, Mexican concoctions built in one big casserole dish, salads topped with grilled chicken - meals that we might serve with a loaf of bread if we're feeling energetic. When we venture away from our one-dish happy place, we tend to get a little side-dish redundant: mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, red potatoes baked in herbs and olive oil (yes, we'd get along quite nicely in Ireland or Idaho), corn on the cob.


I try to keep my eyes open for new side dishes that are simple and can appease a picky-eater "waiter, I'll take the potatoes" appetite. This week I ran across this Simple Cauliflower Recipe. So easy, with five variations, it was definitely worth a shot (we even had over half a head of cauliflower in the crisper leftover from a veggie tray). You prepare a skillet by heating a couple glubs of olive oil over medium heat. The cauliflower gets chopped into tiny bite-size "trees" that brown up beautifully in the olive oil. Once browned on both sides (a feat that takes a whole of six minutes) throw in the extras from the variation of your choice. We tried the garlic, lemon zest, sea salt, Parmesan cheese version (it also called for chives, but we didn't have those on hand). With a home-cooked smell that wafted into the backyard and brought Jason in for dinner without prompting, and done before I could set the table and say, "honey, can you check the chicken on the grill," this seemed like a winner out of the gate. And it was. Warm and nutty with a bit of a crunch, it won everyone over, except the two-year-old who has better things to do than eat, like play. I vaguely remember that feeling. It passed.