Sizzling Cauliflower With Lemon Butter

I have a love hate relationship with cauliflower. I love to eat it raw, chopped up in salads, or as a vessel to eat dip but I hate the concept of cauliflower rice and cauliflower crust pizza. I think it smells and it takes my appetite away. I decided to try to make a recipe with some Cauliflower I was sent from my Imperfect Produce order that was cooked, but still had some crunch to it. I came up with this recipe for Sizzling Cauliflower with Lemon Butter and it was a big hit with me. It is very simple to make, but I would recommend making it in a cast iron skillet so that you get the crispy crust on the Sizzling Cauliflower with Lemon Butter. The best part of this recipe is the charred lemons at the end that I squeezed all over the top of my sizzling cauliflower right before serving. This recipe was pretty perfect but I think next time I will finish the cauliflower with some fresh Parmesan.

The lemon helps the cauliflower crisp up and the charred pieces on the top of the cauliflower tastes oddly like cheese. The recipe and the ingredients are super simple. Besides the cauliflower, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand.

Sizzling Cauliflower with Lemon Butter

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 lemons + the lemon zest
• 1 T of dill
• 1/2 stick of butter
• salt & pepper
• 3 T of water

If you wanted to add some Parmesan to this recipe at the end I think that a good quality shaved Parmesan would be fantastic with this recipe. I also think if you like things a little spicy it would be great to add some red pepper flakes or chili powder to the top as well.

I used my Lodge Cast Iron skillet to make this recipe and I highly recommend using the skillet so you get that really good crust on the cauliflower. I bought my cast iron skillet at an Ace Hardware for under $30 and it is a pan I use almost every single day.

To make the Sizzling Cauliflower with Lemon Butter:

Steps

1. Cut your cauliflower from the stem into a few large pieces is just fine.
2. Place the cauliflower in your cast iron skillet with the head up in the pan.
3. Melt your butter in the microwave and pour the melted butter all over the top of all the pieces of cauliflower.
4. Zest one of your lemons all the way around, then cut your lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice all over the top of the cauliflower, remove any seeds that get into the dish. Squeeze the second lemon over the cauliflower and add all four pieces cut side down to the pan. Make sure you get a little butter on the cut side of the lemon.
5. Season your cauliflower with a good quality salt and some black pepper and then the dill. You can use as much salt, pepper and dill as you prefer. I gave mine a hefty sprinkle of them all. Add the 3 T of water to the pan.
6. Heat your oven to 425 degrees and place your skillet in the oven. After about 12 minutes remove your skillet carefully, do not forget that the handle is hot, and using a pastry brush, brush all the tops of the cauliflower with the butter. The turn the cauliflower upside down and place the skillet back in the oven. REMEMBER THE HANDLE IS HOT!
7. Place back in the over for 12 to 15 minutes or until your cauliflower is crusted on top and crispy. You still want the cauliflower to have some crunch to it, but you want the top to be tender and a little crispy.
8. Remove the skillet from the pan, use a pair of tongs and squeeze the lemons one more time over the cauliflower. Place the skillet back in the oven for about 3 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and you may want to add another sprinkle of the dill, add your lemon zest, and this would be the time to add the cheese, chili powder or red pepper flake if you want to add those things.

Your cauliflower should be crispy on the top and slightly tender but the rest should still have some crunch to it. The charred lemons make this dish look so pretty. This is a great dish to serve with fish or some grilled chicken. It is the perfect side dish, lunch or snack. If you are not a lover of cauliflower then this dish is for you. If you make it I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. As always, thank you for reading and happy eating!

Love, Tipsy