Roasted Cauliflower Florets with Savory Shreekhand

Does anyone you know travel for food? What I mean is, does the cuisine of a region (even if local to the US) drive their choice of vacation destinations? I would say and WISH that’s me, but there is more to my family than just me. And I think I drive my family crazy with my obsession with all things food. I just can’t help it. I’m already salivating and I haven’t even described any dishes!

Well, as my Instagram followers know, I just got back from a fantastic respite in Italy, a country I had never visited. I decided to start a TRAVEL section on my blog, because I have so much to recommend in the 4 countries I’ve been to in the last year or so. I’m so grateful to life to have been able to travel so much and so far.

I’ll be writing about Turkey, Amsterdam, Italy, and India over the next several months, and just the food aspect–nothing else. I won’t be forgetting about my regular food and meal posts too though. Yes, I have high aspirations, especially now that school’s almost out for the kids! But I have too much to share and have a backlog of gorgeous food photos that you need to lend your eyes to.

Savory Shreekhand Dip with Roasted Cauliflower Florets

A few years ago, we went to Boulder, Colorado for a weekend getaway (to see Vampire Weekend AND Of Monsters and Men, the same night)! We had a brunch dish in a neighborhood restaurant that served flash-fried cauliflower florets with a creamy dipping sauce. I enjoyed it so much as a side dish, that I re-created this Indian-inspired healthier version at home. The spice saffron, used heavily in Indian, Persian, and other Mediterranean/Asian countries, gives the dipping sauce a gorgeous lemon hue and a scent of heaven. And I roast the cauliflower with garlic and lots of olive oil. This is a nutritious side dish with indoles from the cruciferous family and flavor and protein from the yogurt-based dip. So I can stay true to the Shef’sKitchen food-is-medicine philosophy when I serve this to my family 🙂

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Roasted Cauliflower Florets with Savory Shreekhand Dip

Serving size: 4

Shreekhand is a regional Indian sweet custard-like dessert dish, though often served alongside the savory main course meal in Gujarati cooking. The yogurt is strained and thick custard that remains is doused with sugar, cardamom, and of course precious rust-colored saffron. When pounded saffron releases an aroma, which intensifies if steeped in liquid. A little bit goes a long way, so try not to balk at the costs. Saffron can be used in a myriad of dishes, savory and sweet. Try this one as a lovely dip to garlicky roasted cauliflower pieces

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed saffron (best crushed with the back of a wooden spoon or in a mortar/pestle)
• 2-3 small heads cauliflower
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the yogurt well to a smooth consistency. Stir in the salt. Carefully stir in the crushed saffron and mix well. Set aside. The color will deepen over time. Stir again before serving.
3. Chop cauliflower into medium-size florets and place them in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. You should have enough florets to mostly fill the bag.
4. Pour in the oil, salt, cumin if using, and minced garlic.
5. Seal the bag completely and shake the bag to coat the florets well with the oil/salt/garlic mix.
6. Spread the florets out on an oiled large baking sheet.
7. Roast for 20-25 minutes then stir the florets up. Cook further for about 10 more minutes until some brown spots have formed on the florets.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature with the saffron dip on the side.

Notes

© Shefaly Ravula/ Shef’s Kitchen
www.shefskitchen.com

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