Whole Roasted Jerk Cauliflower
Serves 3 to 5
Here, I give cauliflower the royal treatment to take it from side dish to table centerpiece, long-cooking until it's fork tender and finishing it with a fiery, blend-and-go glaze inspired by jerk. A specialty of Jamaica, jerk is a prime example of a delicious food with a brutal history—the preparation likely born from either Arawaks, who were enslaved by Spanish conquistadors, or Maroons, African slaves brought by the British who escaped into the Blue Mountains.
I tame its Scotch bonnet–fueled heat with a bit of coconut sugar, so the complexity of allspice, nutmeg, and ginger can shine through. The coconut aminos stand in for soy sauce, a common ingredient in jerk brought to Jamaica by Chinese immigrants.
INGREDIENTS
For the Cauliflower
1 large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds), leaves removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the Jerk Glaze
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chile oil, homemade (page 306) or store-bought
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tablespoon dried
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
2 dried or fresh bay leaves
1 moderately spicy fresh red chile, like Fresno, stemmed
1 scallion, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain
1/4 nutmeg, or 1/8 teaspoon ground
1 juicy lime
ROAST THE CAULIFLOWER
Set an oven rack 10 inches or so from the broiler. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Trim the base of the cauliflower so it can sit flat. Flip the cauliflower base-side up and cut a deep “X”
into the base, stopping when you reach the stems of the florets. This helps the core and base cook at the same rate as the rest of the head.
Rub the cauliflower all over with the olive oil, then season the cauliflower all over with the salt. Sit the cauliflower in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet (11- to 13-inch works best) and roast to soften up the cauliflower (it’ll go from white to cream in color), 30 to 35 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of water directly into the skillet and keep roasting until the water has evaporated and the cauliflower has patches of light golden brown and is just tender enough to easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 20 to 25 minutes more.
MAKE THE JERK GLAZE
While the cauliflower is roasting, combine the glaze ingredients, including the finely grated zest and the juice of the lime, in the blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
MAKE THE DISH
When the cauliflower is tender, remove it from the oven and preheat the broiler. Use a flexible spatula to rub the top and sides of the cauliflower (don’t neglect those lower sides!) with the blended mixture.
Broil the cauliflower, basting it after 5 minutes with the juices that have accumulated in the skillet and trying your best to get that flavorful liquid in all of its nooks and crannies, until the top has spots of black char, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot or warm.
