My husband was asking for something with roasted cauliflower and I came across this charred cauliflower and orzo dish on BBC Good Food. I’m not sure how authentically Italian it is. I was just in Rome and I saw all the classics – Spaghetti alle Vongole, Lasagne, Carbonara, Rome’s version of Arancini (suppli) and more focaccia and mozzarella than you can shake a stick at but nothing with cauliflower and orzo. Nonetheless it’s still molto buono as they say in Italy. Rome is a beautiful, richly historic city and I’m now watching Suburra on Netflix which is an engrossing Italian crime drama set in Rome allowing me to relive all the sites.
Serves 3 (I doubled the recipe which Served 1 with leftovers)
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200g orzo
- 4 tsp capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100ml vegetable stock
- 100g rocket
Method
1.) Heat up the grill
2.) Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Chop up the cauliflower and place over the tray.
3.) Grill for 10 – 15 minutes until charred.
4.) Cook the orzo in a pan of boiling water until soft.
5.) Make up the stock and peel and dice the garlic. Zest the lemon.
6.) Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and capers and fry for a minute.
7.) Drain the orzo and add to the pan, add the cauliflower, the lemon zest, add the lemon juice to the pan and the vegetable stock.
8.) Cook for a couple of minutes then serve up with the rocket sprinkled over.
Cat Among the Pilchards 
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