4/1 Recipe: FREGOLA WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, TOASTED SEEDS & SPICES, BROWN BUTTER AND LEMON

By Majory Sweet

Feel free to sub another roasted vegetable for the cauli (cabbage, broccoli, beets, carrots or fennel would all work well here) and almost any grain for the fregola (brown rice, farro, bulgar, barley...). 

INGREDIENTS//

  • 2 cups fregola (a kind of couscous)

  • 2 heads cauliflower

  • olive oil, salt, pepper

  • 1 stick unsalted butter

  • 2-3 lemons, zested and juiced 

  • 1 cup seed & spice mixture (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS//

  1. heat a glug of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium

  2. add the uncooked fregola

  3. stir every few minutes to make sure the grains are getting evenly toasted and coated in oil

  4. when the fregola starts to turn a toasty brown color, remove it from the heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside

  5. fill the skillet (or other large pot) with salted water and bring to a boil

  6. add the toasted fregola and immediately reduce to a simmer

  7. cook 15 minutes or until tender

  8. drain and set aside to cool

  9. meanwhile, chop both heads of cauliflower into bite sizes pieces (including the core and any outer leaves) and toss with a generous pour of olive oil, along with plenty of salt and crushed black pepper

  10. spread cauliflower pieces out on a sheet tray and roast at 400 for 35 minutes or until crispy and intensely golden brown 

  11. combine the roasted cauliflower and the cooked fregola

  12. now, brown the butter: in a medium-sized saucepan, cook the entire stick of butter over low heat until it begins to brown and smell nutty. remove from heat and set aside

  13. pour the brown butter (along with all the crispy bits) over the fregola and cauliflower. 

  14. add the lemon juice and zest along with a 1/2 of the seed mixture and toss everything together until evenly combined. 

  15. adjust seasoning to taste and serve

SEED & SPICE MIXTURE//

choose any combination from the list below - at least three and up to 6)

  • whole cumin

  • whole coriander

  • whole fennel

  • whole caraway seeds

  • nigella seeds

  • black sesame seeds

  • brown sesame seeds

  • sunflower seeds

  • pepitas

  • pistachios

  • almonds

  • hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS//

  1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

  2. combine whole spices and nuts and spread out on a sheet tray

  3. toast for 10 - 12 minutes until toasted and fragrant

  4. let everything cool and then toss in the bowl of a food processor

  5. pulse 3 or 4 times just until the nuts have broken down and the mixture looks cohesive. 

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