Recipe: Cauliflower Stew with Tomato and Olives

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Recipe: Cauliflower Stew with Tomato and Olives: "

Recipe Source: Wise, Victoria Jenanyan. The Armenian Table. St. Martin's Press, New York, 2004 p. 224

I've got a kind of weird obsession with vegetables. I don't feel that I've done my job unless at least three of the dishes on the table contain significant amounts of vegetable. They don't have to be vegetarian dishes, but they cannot consist of meat with a tiny piece of parsley to garnish. I made this during the spring for one of our Sunday open houses as one of the vegetable sides, and it went over pretty well. I did make a few small changes. I used a combination of colored cauliflower florets, because they were pretty and not much more expensive than buying a head of cauliflower. I did not use Kalamata olives, because I got distracted by some other kind of green olives that looked delicious. Even the most virulently anti-cauliflower people will enjoy this. It also reheats well, so it works as a make-ahead dish.

Cauliflower Stew with Tomatoes and Olives (serves 8; approx. $1.28/serving)

1 ½ pounds cauliflower florets

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup good-quality olives – I used green olives here, Kalamata will suffice

2 more tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Equipment:

• Large sauté pan
  
• Large bowl

1. Put the cauliflower florets in the large bowl. Add water to cover along with the first 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the teaspoon of kosher salt. Set aside 30 minutes.
   
2. Heat the oil in the sauté pan over medium heat.
   
3. Add the tomatoes and little salt to taste. Cook 2 minutes.
   
4. Drain the cauliflower and add it to the pot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. The cauliflower should be tender enough to be pierced with a fork, but not limp and soggy and nasty.
   
5. Transfer to the serving vessel of your choice. Add the olives, remaining lemon juice and a little parsley. Serve.

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