cauliflower & chickpeas salad

I concocted this dish yesterday — following a sudden, unambitious inspiration — but people liked it and said I should transcribe the recipe.  So, here you go, people:

Step 1: Boil some chickpeas. They’ll taste so much better than the canned ones.  You will probably need less than 1 cup of dry chickpeas for this but since cooking them is a bit of a commitment, why not make more and use the rest to whip up some delicious homemade hummus?  

To cook the chickpeas:

• soak overnight
• rinse
• add new water (1:4), bring to a boil
• add 1 small peeled onion and 1-2 garlic cloves (and an herb of choice — I like bay leaf and oregano)
• simmer covered for 2 hours (I add salt to the water after 1.5 hours of simmering)
• drain (reserve some of that liquid if you’re also making hummus)

If you are not convinced this would make any difference, go ahead, use canned chickpeas (15 oz).

While chickpeas are simmering (or sitting in a can):

1. Wash 1 head cauliflower, dry, and cut into florets
2. Pre-heat oven to 400F
3. Toss the florets with 1 Tbs olive oil, salt to taste (start with 1/2 tsp), some garlic powder, ground cumin, a pinch of turmeric, and, if you wish, 1-2 Tbs Panko breadcrumbs
4. Arrange cauliflower in one layer and roast at 400F for 30 minutes.  (Next time I’d like to make it a little crunchier by roasting at a higher temperature for a shorter time)
5. Allow both cauliflower and drained chickpeas to cool a little, toss in a bowl, and dress with the following
6. dressing
• 1-2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 4-5 anchovies fillets, chopped
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• juice of half a lemon
• 1-2 tsp grated Parmesan
• a sprinkling of ground black pepper

Obviously, if you hate anchovies, don’t use them. Actually, the undressed dish was quite tasty too – perhaps, just a sprinkle of lemon juice and Parmesan?

You probably want to know whether I grow my own cauliflower.  The answer is a resounding no. Why?  Because, according to my Organic Gardening book, “cauliflowers are the most difficult of the brassicas to cultivate successfully.”  And, right now, I don’t feel like I need another challenge in my life — certainly not from a cabbage… But I do boil my own chickpeas.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup (or less) dry chickpeas, cooked. Or 1 can (AYOR)
2. 1 small onion (for boiling chickpeas)
3. 1 head cauliflower
4. Olive oil
5. 2-3 garlic cloves
6. 1/2 lemon
7. 1-2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
8. 4-5 anchovies fillets
9. Spices & herbs: garlic powder, ground cumin, turmeric, salt, black pepper, chopped chives
10. Optional: Bay leaf, oregano, Panko breadcrumbs