Roasted Cauliflower Rice
September 20, 2023
This is a composed dish I make often as it works great with a piece of fish or chicken placed on top for a one bowl meal. We are big cauliflower fans, so I am always looking for ways to mix it up and incorporate it into our meals. This could not be easier with the result super tasty.
First start the rice. We are big jasmine or basmati rice fans, so it is usually one of those two. Put rice into pan and add water. Follow the box or package instructions for ratio depending on how much you want to make. On high heat let the rice and water come to a boil. I always add two big pinches of salt, a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter. The trio adds lots of flavor to the rice. Stir with a fork as the rice often sticks to the bottom of the pan at this point. Once it starts to bubble and boil, turn heat down to medium to medium low. Cover for 15 minutes. After that amount of time, turn off the heat. Lift up the lid and quickly mix with the fork again and put the lid back on. It needs to sit another 15 minutes off the heat to finish cooking. It can sit for a good while and stay warm.
Oven to 400 degrees. Take a head of cauliflower and cut it up to very small pieces—florets and stems. Add them all to a baking sheet. Even the littlest pieces. Those will caramelize and be little bits of heaven. For the meal the other eve, I added a handful of capers too. You can certainly omit them as well. Add extra virgin olive oil to the cauliflower pieces on the pan along with a generous amount of salt. Mix all. Place in the oven and check every 10 minutes, each time moving the veg around the pan so things cook and brown evenly. Depending on the size and amount of cauliflower, 20 minutes to a half an hour should do the trick. You are looking for it to become golden on the edges. That adds looks of sweetness & texture to the dish.
Once done, carefully add the hot cauliflower to the rice. Mix. Enjoy!
