"roasted" news and stories

At first glance you might wonder if this is some sort of science project. But what it lacks in immediate familiarity, it makes up for in taste -- especially when you consider it's a simple combination of three of any cook's most important ingredients: garlic, olive oil and coarse salt.

For this head of perfectly roasted garlic, blogger The Brown Eyed Baker simply cut off enough of the bulb to expose the cloves, drizzled them with a tablespoon of olive oil and added a generous sprinkling of salt before covering it with aluminum foil and roasting the entire thing for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Great for use in pasta and pizzas and slathered on bread, those who truly love garlic may have a hard time not eating this straight out of the oven. But whatever you do with those golden-brown cloves, don't forget to save the skins for broth!

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I've often felt that cooking cauliflower is no-win situation. Either you serve it "healthy" - say, steamed with a little salt and lemon juice - and it tastes like packing peanuts (well, packing peanuts with lemon juice), or else you smother it with cheese or butter or creamy curry sauce and completely destroy its virtue. But recently I have seen the error of my ways. The key to cauliflower that's delicious and healthy (and easy): Roast it, with just the tiniest bit of bacon.

I simply toss the cauliflower florets in a mixture of olive oil and mustard, throw them on a baking pan with a handful of whole peeled garlic gloves and some chunks of slab bacon, sprinkle on a little salt and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The cauliflower gets soft on the inside and crisp and caramelized at the edges, the mustard-olive oil mix gets condensed and flavorful and a little sticky, the garlic cloves become pungent and golden. The bacon, barely more than a condiment, adds depth and crunch (though it could easily be omitted). This, with some garlicky lentils, has been my go-to weeknight meal for the past month. Try it - you won't be sorry.

What are your favorite cauliflower recipes?

You probably won't win any nutrition awards for this meal (its painfully whitish-tan color reminds us that there aren't many rich nutrients hidden in the dish), but no matter - it's still a delicious dinner choice for meat eaters and veggies alike.

The recipe does call for anchovy filets, so simply omit those if you're a vegetarian (unfortunately, though, anchovies are known to produce a certain je ne se quoi in foods that is hard to reproduce). But there's nothing wrong with a simple pasta and cauliflower dish, too.

One of the keys to this recipe is the roasted cauliflower - you cook them until they're just browned, which is sure to bring out their best flavor. And don't forget the parmesan cheese at the end for an added salty kick.

Speaking of asparagus...Most often, asparagus makes its springtime appearance in The Delicious household simply steamed with a little bit of salt and occasionally, in an omelet or frittata.

However, I will never go back to simple steaming of asparagus, nor to hiding them inside a mask of eggs after having them wrapped in slices of prosciutto and roasted. I realize, of course, that this is not a wildly innovative technique, but it is the first time I've done it and tasted it.

Now different recipes call for slightly different methods -- blanching the asparagus first, tossing them with olive oil, etc. -- but there is no need. Just trim the woody ends, wrap 3-4 stems in prosciutto, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. There's no need for oil since the prosciutto's fat will render onto the baking tray, and the salty meat is enough with the asparagus.

By far, the most common way I prepare chicken these days is by roasting thighs. I went through a phase where I was doing whole chickens, and there's definitely something satisfying about pulling a whole bird from the oven. But for convenience, cost and flavor, I think that thighs are the way to go. I know some of you may be into the whole boneless, skinless breast thing, but I just find them dry and flavorless. Crisp skin, flecked with coarse salt, cracked pepper and rosemary is where it's at.