Vegetarian Catering with Teatime Caterers in Northern Virginia
Most amazing vegetable side dish EVER!! From the February issue of Bon Appetit. www.bonappetit.com, comes Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower. Preheat oven 425 degrees. Cut 1 head cauliflower into florets; toss on a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 sliced medium onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves (I used twice this), and 3 Tbsp. olive oil; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until almost tender, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, toss to combine, and roast until cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes longer. Says it serves 4 but swear to God I could eat entire pan. Simply the best vegetable dish I have eaten in very long time. Then again, almost every winter vegetable tastes better roasted: squash, turnips, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots.
For the meat eaters out there, I recently served this with a roast Pork Tenderloin in a Balsamic Glaze. Pan roasting filets of tenderloin with a gentle sear, and then add the glaze and cover to heat through. Keeping it strictly vegetarian you could do the same thing with a firm tofu, pressed and dried to release excess moisture, and pan seared in butter or olive oil.
One of our favorite vegetarian options is a Carrot-Coconut Soup.
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 lb carrots, peeled, chopped
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (I use lite)
1-2 Tbsp Thai-style chili sauce
Fresh Cilantro for garnish.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion, season with s + P stirring often, until carrots are softened, about 15 min. Stir in broth, coconut milk, and 1-2 TB chili sauce. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables very soft and liquid is slightly reduced, 40-45 minutes. Let cool slightly then puree in blender or food processor.
This is a real conversation starter. It would be awesome served as a shooter for an appetizer
Serving soup shooters for cocktail hour |
during the cocktail hour of a wedding reception. We enjoy it at home at the MacBean household for dinner, topped with a few fried onions and some crackers on the side. But the chili sauce really knocks it out of the ball park. Start with 1 TB and see how you like the heat before you go all in.
It rocks. Simply.
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