If you haven’t seen fioretto cauliflower before, we’d like to introduce you.
What is it, exactly? While “regular” cauliflower has a dense head of thick florets, fioretto cauliflower is delicate and flower-y. In fact, it’s literally referred to as “flowering cauliflower.” The taste is slightly sweet and nutty, and the florets are not quite as “heavy” as regular cauliflower.
Fioretto cauliflower from Melissa’s Produce was one of the featured ingredients this weekend at Gelson’s Taste of Italy festival. It’s in season now, and you can find it in specialty produce or well-stocked grocery stores (most likely packaged like this).
Whenever we come across a uniquely pretty fruit or vegetable, we love to find new ways to feature it. In this case, we wanted to leave the “flowers” as intact as possible. We decided to roast them along with some of their Mediterranean relatives – pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and Kalamata olives.
Italian-Style Fioretto Cauliflower Recipe
Italian-Style Fioretto Cauliflower
This pretty, flower-like variant on cauliflower combines with olives, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes for a perfect fall side dish or vegan main course.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Fioretto cauliflower florets
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
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Toss all ingredients together. Distribute evenly on a large sheet pan. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is lightly toasted. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The result? Your perfect side dish, or possible even your perfect vegan main course. It’s delicious when served hot or warm, but we also enjoyed it at room temperature.
We think this would make a great offering for a big feast like Thanksgiving. You can make it so quickly – it won’t take up a lot of time in your oven. Plus, even if it sits on the table for a while it will still be as tasty as ever.
P.S. Love cauliflower? Try our Cauliflower Date Pistachio Salad.
Blogger disclosure: Melissa’s sent me produce to sample in honor of the Taste of Italy event. I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
I didn’t know Fioretto.
Saw it at the store today, picked it up and searched for how to cook it and found yours.
DELICIOUS.
Served with a Niçoise salad and Gazpacho.
Paired with a crisp rosé from Provence.
Life is good.
Tx for posting.
Great! I’m so glad – and thanks so much for letting me know! : )