Indian-Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

There are lots of ways to cook cauliflower, but I've found that baking is a perfect way to bring out caulliflower's flavor.  As an added bonus, baking prevents the cauliflower from getting all mushy, as can happen when it is boiled or steamed.  I knew I'd want a vegetable dish to go with the Lamb Curry I made last weekend, and since I had picked up some cauliflower during my most recent trip to the grocery, I decided I'd bake it up with Indian spices to go along well with the main dish.

This is a pretty easy recipe to make, and what time it takes to prepare is mostly cooking time.  In just a little over 1/2 hour, you end up with nicely browned, perfectly-cooked, flavorful cauliflower.  Neither Juli nor I found this dish to exciting enough to stand on its own as a main course, but it made for a very nice side.

Indian-Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

yield = 4 servings

3                   tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2             teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2             teaspoons ground coriander
1/4                teaspoon kosher salt
1/4                teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8                teaspoon cayenne pepper
1                   large head cauliflower, separated into
                      florets
1/2                fresh lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine olive oil, cumin, coriander, kosher salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.  Add cauliflower florets and stir to evenly coat.

Arrange cauliflower on the baking sheet.   Place in oven and bake 15 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from the oven, turn the cauliflower florets and return to the oven to bake an additional 10 minutes.  Transfer caulifower to a serving bowl and serve immediately.