Sicilian-style Roasted Cauliflower with Orange, Fennel Seed, and Raisins

I do have a tendency to obsess about certain foods during certain seasons - asparagus now, tomatoes in August, pumpkin in October - though roasted cauliflower seems to be more of a year-round obsession. It's just that it's so easy to prepare, and can be treated so many different ways: served with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, mashed and served in place of potatoes, and this way, this way that I have been eating for workday lunch - I'm almost embarrassed to admit it - every Monday through Friday for, yeah, about three months. 

That qualifies as an obsession, right?

The cauliflower gets roasted while I'm making other food on Sunday, then, if I have time, I add the Sicilian-inspired flavors: orange zest, juice, fennel seeds, capers, and raisins. But if I don't have time - which loosely translates to feeling a bit lazy - I work the Sicilian accoutrement magic while making my coffee on Monday morning, and viola! Easy, inexpensive lunch.

Sicilian-style Roasted Cauliflower with Orange, Fennel Seed, and Raisins

4 to 6 side servings, 2 to 3 main course servings

Total cost: $6.83

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, 2 to 3 pounds, leaves trimmed cauliflower chopped into florets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained of liquid
• the zest and juice of one navel orange
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cauliflower, fennel seed, and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the cauliflower in a single laer on a 9 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet
• Roast the cauliflower until it is golden brown on the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the raisins in warm water until they are soft and plump, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the raisins are softened, drain the water and set the raisins aside.
• Remove the cauliflower from the oven, allow it to cool slightly, then transfer it to a large serving bowl.
• Add the raisins, capers, orange zest, and orange juice to the bowl, and stir well.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve it forth, either at room temperature or chilled.
• Alternatively, you could toss this mixture with whole wheat pasta for a hearty vegetarian meal.

Estimated cost for one batch of Sicilian-style Roasted Cauliflower with Orange, Fennel Seed, and Raisins: $6.83. The cauliflower costs $3.99 per head. Olive oil (Whole Foods Market 365 store brand Spanish evoo) costs 9¢ per tablespoon, so 18¢. Two tablespoons of fennel seed costs around 90¢, 1 tablespoon raisins costs around 21¢, and 1 tablespoon capers costs around 30¢. The navel orange should cost around $1.25, and salt and pepper are pantry staples, and therefore not included in the pricing. 

If you're in Boston tomorrow and headed to WBOS' EarthFest, come see me in the Whole Foods Live Tent where I'll be doing a demo showing how to prepare the Sicilian-style Roasted Cauliflower with Orange, Fennel Seed, and Raisins, and generally talking up a storm while doing so. I'd love to see you there!

Boston

One month later: the memorial at Copley Square on Boylston Street

Today marks the one month anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, which I've not yet had the fortitude to write about here, and still remain conflicted about trying to put my perspective on it, as I wasn't there, I didn't experience the horror, I don't know anyone personally who was injured or, for feck's sake, was killed while participating in what is meant to be one of Boston's best and most celebratory days. A glorious springtime rite of passage for the entire city.

I have, as so many Bostonians and Boston-area residents have, spent many Marathon Mondays eating and drinking and cheering and laughing on Boylston Street. JR's brother used to serve on the board of the Boston Athletic Association, he ran the 100th and 101st running, his daughters have run, my sister has run, my family has sat in those grandstands at the finish line, as dear family friends did a month ago today. 

Another family friend was inside Marathon Sports when the first bomb exploded. She and her friend had been standing, cheering, in the same spot all day, the same spot where the bomb went off. They had decided moments before the blast to go into Marathon Sports for a minute. They were lucky, and yet, they witnessed so much devastation and horror. 

"Their sneakers were soaked in blood," JR's niece told us of our friends, "a woman who lost her leg came into the doorway of Marathon sports, and they tried to comfort her while someone grabbed a shirt to make a tourniquet." Like I'm saying. They were lucky. That that statement even makes sense is beyond effed up.

I realize, too, that so many tragedies happen all around the world. West, Texas. Bangladesh. The ongoing random bombings of civilians throughout the Middle East. The disaster in Syria, now spilling into Turkey. 

But Boston is the city where I have worked for 20 years, where JR went to school, lived, and worked, where my siblings and I have all lived, where my sister and brother attended college. Where my friends are. 

Boston is home, just as much as our little house is home, and so it hits home more vividly, more intensely, even as we feel for those who are suffering elsewhere.

Tonight, Chefs Ming Tsai and Ken Oringer are leading the charge for Boston Bites Back, a benefit for The One Fund which will be held at Fenway Park and that will feature 100 of the city's best chefs. All of the proceeds will be passed directly to The One Fund. Tickets are available at the Boston Bites Back website, and the event runs from 6pm until 10pm.

If you aren't in Boston, or can't make it to Fenway tonight, Boston Magazine is selling prints of their Marathon cover, with all proceeds also going to The One Fund.

And, of course, if you want to give directly to The One Fund, that's a good way to help, too. Even one dollar would help.

To help the victims of other tragedies, The Red Cross is a good place to send your donation.

And thank you - thank you, thank you, thank you - for all of your help for Boston, for West, Texas, and for everyone else impacted by tragedy. No amount of money can change what they've been through, but for people in need of medical care, prosthetics, counseling, and the like, our help is so badly needed.

Food Bloggers Against Hunger: A Place at the Table

Today, more than 200 food bloggers are banding together to help raise awareness of the problem of hunger in America, inspired by the new film, A Place at the Table.

The surfeit of food that is available in our supermarkets can make it difficult to believe that any Americans are going hungry, much less help us to comprehend that 50 million of us are. The issue isn't that we don't have enough food, it's that the people who are in need, those of us receiving federal food aid (SNAP benefits - formerly known as food stamps), are given $3 to $4 per person per day for food, a challenge for anyone to live on.

When the least expensive options at the market are highly processed foods, it can be difficult at best to make healthful choices, yet the government is considering making cuts to SNAP at a time when that assistance is so critical.

As you may know, I started this blog in response to our own financial challenges. Despite my joblessness, we wanted to eat well, to eat healthful and tasty meals. Meals that we could look forward to each night as a respite from the stress.

We believed that our situation, as frightening as it was, was only temporary, and we were right. And we were also fortunate to have farmer neighbors who sell produce inexpensively, fortunate that we grow a lot of our own produce, that we raise chickens for eggs and, at that time, for meat.

But for the person without those resources (because how many people live near a bunch of farmers or have the space to grow their own food?), or the person who lives in a food desert, or who is sick and ends up with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills (if not more) and isn't able to go back to work, or the family whose breadwinner finds herself unemployed longer than she could have imagined, or the baby boomer laid off and unable to find work to tide him over until he reaches retirement age, a future of $3 to $4 per day for food from SNAP is a stressful prospect, not just for the adults, but also for the school-age children of these families.

Billy Shore of Share Our Strength estimates that 1 in 2 children in the United States will require food aid at some point. That is an obscene number of families in need.

Recently, I spoke with the executive director of a local food bank that serves over 5,000 people in one area of Rhode Island. Every year since 2009, their client list has grown by at least 1,000 people, and they haven't seen any indication of the economic recovery helping to slow the need.

Hunger can come to an end here in the United States. We have the resources. We can start by asking Congress to continue funding SNAP. We can ask that food policy be changed so that subsidies are redirected from commodity crops like soy, wheat, and corn to help support affordable fresh produce.

Please visit Share Our Strength to send a message to your legislators (it's quick and easy - and well worth the effort).

And please watch A Place at the Table to learn more. Watch the trailer below, check local listings here, or download the movie on iTunes or Amazon.

collard greens pie

I'll leave you with a few of my favorite low-cost recipes here.

The total costs for these recipes gives an idea of how difficult it is to provide 3 meals per day for three or four dollars.

Fusilli with Sicilian-Spiced Butternut Squash and Kale (originally posted for No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength) - $11.44, or $2.86 per serving for 4 servings.

Spicy Mushroom-Bacon Mac and Cheese - $13.05, $2.18 per serving for 6 servings.

Collard Greens Pie - $12.48, $1.04 per slice, and easily modified to use kale, Swiss chard, or spinach.

Grilled Corn Bisque with Sweet and Savory Accoutrement - $10.76, or $2.69 per serving for 4 servings.

Turkey-Squash Chili - $14.85, $2.48 per serving for 6 servings.

Pear and Sweet Onion Pulled Pork - $21.43, $2.68 per serving for 8 servings.

Savory Crostata: Eggplant, Tomato, and Olive - $7.83 or 98 cents per serving for 8 servings.

Many thanks to Nicole at The Giving Table for coordinating today's effort to raise awareness of this issue.

Getting Freekeh for Whole Grains Sampling Day

Over the last few years, I've been making an effort to include more whole grains in my diet. I know that baked goods are best in moderation, but to make that moderate intake of muffins and cakes a little better for us (okay, okay, around the holidays it's not so moderate. I admit it), I substitute whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a portion of the all-purpose flour.

Whole wheat pasta and cous cous have both been incorporated into our diet, and even when making a sauce or a gravy - yep, I know, decadent - I use whole wheat flour instead of white. Small changes, but every little bit counts.

I've long been a fan of polenta, farro finds its way into many a soup here, and oats are on the menu every morning in the granola that tops my yogurt.

So when Oldways asked if I'd be interested in being a Whole Grains ambassador for Whole Grains Sampling Day, I was totally on board.

Oldways, if you don't know, was founded by K. Dun Gifford in 1990 with the aim of promoting healthy eating and drinking, preserving culinary traditions, and promoting sustainable agriculture. These are all things that I geek out to. I love Oldways, and K. Dun Gifford and Sara Baer-Sinnott's cookbook, The Oldways Table, is also a favorite.

Oldways introduced the Mediterranean Diet and the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid to the United States in the 1990's, and founded the Whole Grain Council (their name is on the whole grain symbol you see on your groceries). Together, they have organized Whole Grains Sampling Day to get more of us to try whole grains, and if we're already on the whole grains wagon, to try a whole grain that we haven't eaten before.

About a month ago, I received a package with an absolute slew of whole grain goodies. There were a few mixes for cookies and the like, and an oatmeal cookie that had a lot of grain, and also a lot of calories - these things aren't my bag. If I'm going to take in lots of calories, I'd prefer they be from scratch - either made at home, or by a professional baker. Fussy, fussy, I know. However, there were a number of whole grain foods that I was excited to try - Jovial pasta, which I've seen in the grocery store and hadn't yet tried, and a new-to-me grain, freekeh (pronounced free-ka. Yes, that's right. How could I not try it?). As the spirit of the day is to try new whole grains, freekeh was my focus.

Freekeh is a wheat berry, like farro and rye, and has a nutty flavor. It cooks up quickly, and after reading up that most whole grains can be cooked and refrigerated - or frozen! - for future use, I decided that it would be a good grain for weekday salads.

And perfect for today, as there is a Whole Grain Toast at noon EST (tweet, post to FB, Pinterest, et cetera, and use #SampleWholeGrains to mention your favorite whole grain.  If you want to tweet to Oldways, find them at @OldwaysPT)

Back to the weekday salad: in keeping with the leftovers theme here this week, I made an arugula salad with freekeh, leftover lamb, and leftover orange-honey dressing.

My friend Maria Speck has a recipe for lamb and wheat berry stew in her wonderful book Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. With Maria's endorsement of the lamb-wheat berry combination I knew that I had to be on a good path, even before trying it. And once I had eaten it - yes. The verdict is in. Get freaky with the freekeh, people. That shiz is good.

Aside from lunch and dinner dishes, freekeh can also be prepared for breakfast, a la oatmeal (or quinoa, you whole grain nut, you), and I think it would be quite good served with pork or chicken, a drizzle of maple syrup, and sauteed kale, Swiss chard, or collards.

Have you tried any new-to-you Whole Grains lately? If so, what did you think?


full disclosure: I received a slew - really a slew - of whole grain products to sample, but was not compensated for this post otherwise. As always, all opinions are my own.