There are many advantages to growing up an Army brat, like Petey, or a Coastie kid, like me.
It fostered an appreciation of the commitment and sacrifices that men and women are willing to give to this nation. It’s humbling.
It allowed us to see many different cultures around the country and world. Seeing the various ways in which people live as a child means there is almost no judgement. Kids are still learning how the world works, so don’t come from a position of cultural superiority. It’s not better or worse, just endlessly fascinating.
We always knew that there was a huge population that had a vested interest in us and had our backs. At times, it could be a little uncomfortable, when the entire United States Armed Forces and the Coast Guard are acting as in loco parentis. But when the chips are down, and you need them, they’re right there.
But, probably the best gift Petey and I received from our upbringings was the gift of resilience.
Every few years, usually at the end of the summer, we’d pack up and move our entire lives to a whole new world. But, by the time Halloween was on the horizon, we’d be home. What was once strange and new became both familiar and comfortable.
And this week’s recipe is a culinary example of resilience. The vegetables are the only constant. The seasoning and the dressing itself are incredibly malleable.
Za’atar
Za’atar is a middle Eastern spice which contains thyme, toasted sesame seeds, and sumac. It can be found in Asian and Middle Eastern markets. Sumac is a dried ground flower. It has a bright, lemony flavor.
Although not one of the most common spices in the kitchen, you can buy sumac in most grocery stores.
But.
If you would like the flavor of za’atar for the dressing, you can make something very close by mixing one 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon each, toasted sesame seeds and dried thyme.
Roasted Cauliflower Summer Salad
6 slices thick cut bacon
On a parchment-covered, rimmed baking sheet, cook the bacon at 350 degrees until completely browned and crispy (18-24 minutes), turning once. Remove bacon to paper towel covered plate, reserving rendered bacon fat.
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup white corn kernels, either from frozen, or roasted fresh
2 scallions, sliced very thinly on the bias
1 small head of Boston bib or butter lettuce
Turn oven up to 450. Once the bacon is removed from the pan, replace with the cauliflower on one single layer and drizzle on two tablespoons of bacon grease and season with salt and pepper. Roast the veg for 20 minutes, stirring once. When cooked, remove from sheet pan and set aside.
Dressing #1:
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon za’atar or 2 teaspoons of homemade za’atar
2 tablespoons bacon grease
Salt and pepper
Whisk together all ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Dressing #2:
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 teaspoon za’atar or 2 teaspoons of homemade za’atar
Salt and pepper
Whisk together ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Assembly:
Place cauliflower, corn, and green onions in bowl. Fold in dressing of your choice, a bit of a time until lightly coated—don’t overdress. Serve on a bed of torn, bite-sized pieces of lettuce, and top with shards of crispy bacon.
This salad works as a side dish at Sunday dinner, a cookout, or for a unique addition to a bagged lunch. Like the recipe itself, it’s infinitely adaptable.
Thanks for your time.
My mother would be convinced that the veggies were burnt and should be discarded. This would result in my father running over to Food Lion to acquire more microwavable veggies as the family sits around the dinner table and Mom frets about everything getting cold and dried out.
If her baked macaroni and cheese has brown spots on the top, it’s burned. If rolls go beyond the lightest of caramel-color, they’re burned. And if veggies get a barely perceptible touch of char, they’re burned and ruined.
The Maillard (my-yard) reaction is when amino acids and sugars mix with heat and to a certain extent, pressure, making those delicious, delicious brown markings on food.
Due to exposure to my mom’s brown food aversion, and my own, near-certifiable level of impatience, I came exceedingly late to the brown food fan club.
All you need is a metal pan (a cast iron is best here) that’s screaming hot and a little oil. Dry both sides of the meat, put the thinnest coats of oil on it, then season both sides. Place the pieces in the pan without crowding them, which will steam them, rather than sear. They should be no closer than ½ inch. And the more contact meat makes to hot surface, the more of it will be brown.
Brown veggies though, are my newest obsession.
When the cauliflower was heated through, I uncovered the pan and turned it up to about 6. There was a little water in the skillet from the veg which I wanted to cook off. This is where I had the happy accident.
When I got back to it, it had developed beautiful browning. In the past, I never cooked vegetables until they picked up color. But, instead of deciding it was burned and discarding it, I just flipped it to expose another part to the pan.
You can do this with both frozen and fresh. But it must be a harder veg, like broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots. A more tender veggie like peas, will turn gray. So cook them gently, then roll them in brown butter. They’ll pick up the maillard flavor without going all elementary school cafeteria food on you.
And, not burnt.
My favorite ice cream treat is Dairy Queen’s peanut buster parfait. It is a miracle of simplicity; vanilla soft serve draped in hot fudge sauce and studded with peanuts.
All this fancy scientific palaver boils down to one thing: humans like contrast, and crave it.
Do ahead: Farro can be cooked up to 3 days in advance, kept in an airtight container in fridge. Cauliflower can be cooked 2 days in advance. Casserole can be assembled and baked a day later, easily, although the crumbs might lose their crisp from absorbing the moisture below if not added right before baking. Casserole keeps for several days in fridge and longer in freezer.
So we chose Marcona almonds because they’re addictively tasty. They were the perfect foil for the other ingredients. It was a true balance of both taste and texture.
I only offered another contrast. I didn’t promise it wouldn’t be bonkers.
There’s this new relationship term—ghosting.
So, here’s the thing; for various reasons, I am extremely skeptical about the whole gluten-free, celiac thing.
4 cups steamed, fresh cauliflower
So get in there and break out some neglected kitchen toys. You’ll remember why you thought they were such a great idea in the first place.
Thanks for your time.
bull city mom 