Erica De Mane

Multicolored cauliflower from Story Farms, in Catskill, New York.

Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower with Capers, Cumin, and Pecorino Toscano

My favorite vegetable stand is Story Farms, in Catskill, New York. It’s small but always colorful, at the moment sporting a strong orange theme. The farm is family run, and everything is grown either on their own land or on a neighboring farm. If you stop by now you’ll see bins and tables full of gigantic pumpkins and butternut squashes, lavender eggplants, stalks of Brussels sprouts, and colossal warty gourds, but I am particularly taken with their cauliflowers, which are so unexpectedly colored I found them shocking. (Is it a flower? Is it a gorgeous malignancy?) The purple, orange, and green cauliflowers are variations on the standard white variety. I’ve just learned that the orange ones have about 25 times the level of vitamin A of the white, and the purple cauliflowers contain anthocyanin, the same antioxidant found in red wine. So their beauty is more than skin deep.

Although it’s not a big place, Story Farms can be a one-stop shop, especially if you make a meal of great vegetables. They’ve also got farm eggs, fresh-cut herbs, many varieties of local pears and apples, mums and zinnias, and often a litter or two of kittens nestled in with the cows in their barns across the street. That for me is a big bonus. Story Farms is at 4640 Route 32, Catskill, N.Y.

I know some people turn away from cauliflower, either for its slight fartiness or for I don’t know why exactly, but if you are one of those people, I suggest you try roasting it. Roasting makes it sweet and rich and delicious.

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers, Cumin, and Pecorino Toscano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut your cauliflower into approximately 1-inch florets (one medium sized one is good for about four side dish servings), and lay them out on a sheet pan. Drizzle them generously with olive oil, and season well with salt and black pepper (or if you prefer a little spiciness, try Aleppo or another medium hot dried chili). Toss the cauliflower florets with your hands until they’re well coated with oil. Stick the pan in the oven, and roast until the cauliflower is just starting to get golden but is still a bit firm, about 10 minutes, stirring it around once to make sure it’s cooking evenly.

Pull the sheet pan from the oven, and scatter on a thinly sliced garlic clove, a sprinkling of ground cumin, and a pinch of sugar, giving everything a good stir. Put the cauliflower back in the oven, and roast about 8 to 10 minutes longer, until it’s very golden and tender when poked with a knife.

Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl, and add a palmful of capers, a heaping tablespoon of pecorino Toscano, and a handful of lightly chopped Italian parsley leaves. Toss gently, and serve hot or warm.