Puttanesca cauliflower

Watched "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" this morning. Anne Burrell made a cauliflower in tomato sauce with caper berries and olives which got me to thinking about this recipe.

A couple of years ago I got inspired by Rachel Ray to make a sort of gremolata with olives and red wine vinegar. I've tinkered with it since and tinkered with it again to make this cauliflower dish.

Puttanesca cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
olive oil
oil-cured black olives
canned black olives, drained and rinsed
special green olives
anchovies
capers
juice of ½ lemon
more lemon juice as garnish

Preheat broiler.

Trim the heavy stem from the cauliflower to exposes the interstices between the florets at the top.

Brush the top of the cauliflower with olive oil and place under the broiler (oven rack set at 2nd position from the top. Broil until the top browns.

While the cauliflower broils, place olives, anchovies and lemon juice into a food processor. Turn the motor on and drizzle in just enough olive oil to make it form a quasi paste-like texture.

Remove cauliflower from the broiler and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Reduce the oven to 350°.

When the cauliflower is cool enough to handle, turn it upside down. Spoon the olive mixture into the crevasses between the florets, using your fingers as necessary to cram it in.

Place the cauliflower, still upside down, on a v-rack in a deep roasting pan. Add about ½” hot water to the pan. Cover and bake until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

To serve, cut into wedges, still keeping it upside down so that the tapenade stays inside. Drizzle with lemon juice and a bit of olive oil and serve.