Serve this unlikely seeming combo as a tapa, appetizer, or side with grilled shrimp or chicken. The cauliflower will be a little sweet to contrast with the green grassy, sometimes spicy padrons, and the vinegar in the marinade will add piquancy to the whole. Use large crystal salt for an added layer of crunch. These would be good with a glass of chilled sherry. If you want to dress this up a bit, use the Charred Scallion Sauce on the website.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cauliflower florets, trimmed to ¾ x 1 x ½ inch, (stem to outer edge, top to bottom, width of slice) stem part left intact to hold floret together 3 cups padron peppers Olive oil as needed ½ cup sherry vinegar ¼ teaspoon pimenton de la vera dulce (smoked sweet paprika) ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano Pepper to taste Salt to taste, preferably something with large crystals such as Maldon, Fleur de Sel de Camargue, Diamond Crystal kosherMETHOD:
Whisk the pimenton into the sherry vinegar. Allow it to rest 5-10 minutes so the flavors marry.
Steam or blanch the cauliflower in salted water until it just loses its raw quality and is just tender. It should still have a little crunch to it, but not taste raw. As soon as it reaches this state, give it a quick rinse in cold water to cool it a little, then put it into a non-reactive bowl and drizzle with the vinegar. Toss the florets to coat with the vinegar. Allow to marinate, gently turning every so often, for ½ an hour or so.
After the vinegar soaks in, drizzle with enough vinegar to coat and toss to ensure all surfaces are coated. Season with pepper and scatter evenly with the herbs.
Coat padrons lightly with oil.
Use a sharp small gauge metal or bamboo skewer and thread the peppers and cauliflower florets onto the skewers. Arrange the stems of the padrons so they are all even with one another, and will lie flat on the grill. Between the padrons, thread a piece of cauliflower so the ½ inch dimension is parallel with the sides of the peppers and 1 inch dimension follows the length of the peppers.
Heat the grill until quite hot, and brush it down really well. Put a little oil on a piece of cloth and rub the grate down to aid in the skewers releasing. Lay the skewers onto the grill and cook until the peppers are blistered/charred and the cauliflower is golden with stripes of caramelization/charring on one side. Turn and repeat. Remove to a platter and scatter lightly with salt.
Serve hot.
Chef’s Tips:
Is you wish, warm the sherry vinegar and add a pinch of toasted saffron, crumbled, in lieu of the pimenton. Be sure to toss the cauliflower well so it all gets coated.
You could prepare this in a ridged cast iron skillet or a flat bottomed non-stick pan as well, or you could even broil this.
This dish would be nicely complemented by Charred Scallion Sauce.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
