Trust me when I say, you need to make this dish. If you are a small family eating light, cut the recipe in half because it makes a very large portion (but it makes great leftovers!). It's also great to serve for company and let sit out at room temperature for guests to nibble. Everything is in season right now for winter but all of these ingredients you can find year round. As for the pomegranates, you can purchase the arils (the seeds) by the cup from Pom Poms. But once I showed customers at Mariano's Fresh Market how easy it is to seed a pomegranate, I had them buying them fresh.
2. Slice it in quarters from top to bottom.
3. Using a heavy wooden or stainless spoon, hold the pomegranate in one hand facing down into a bowl and bang the backside with the spoon. The arils will fall out into the ball and into your hand. That's it!
Lastly, when using quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) make sure to rinse it thoroughly under cold water. If you don't it has a very bitter taste. Many customers commented on how different my quinoa tasted and when I asked them if they rinsed it until the water ran clear they looked puzzled. It won't hurt you but it certainly tastes better rinsed.
Quinoa, Cauliflower, Fennel and Pomegranate Recipe
By Published: January 16, 2013
- Yield: 6-8 Servings
by Kiki Luthringshausen of Beauty and Her Feast
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more if needed for drizzling at end
- 1 small head of cauliflower cored, cut in half, sliced 1/4
- 2 small fennel bulbs chopped
- 1 lemon zest and juice, separated
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed until water runs clear
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup grated gran padano or parmigiano cheese
- salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package. (Tip: add one teaspoon of kosher salt to the water.) Turn off the heat, cover and and set aside until the veggies are ready.
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet* over medium-high heat. Saute fennel. Season with salt and pepper and stir as it cooks for about 10 minutes or until just tender. Remove and set aside.
- Add the cauliflower and sauté until soft and starting to brown. Squeeze half the lemon over the cauliflower as it starts to brown. Add the fennel back to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook until the veggies are caramelized and tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the quinoa to a large serving bowl. Add the fennel and cauliflower to the bowl.
- Add the parsley, cheese and pomegranate seeds then squeeze the other half of lemon over the ever dish. Toss to mix well.
- Taste and adjust season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with additional olive oil over the entire bowl. Sprinkle a little more cheese. Serve.
- *If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use a heavy bottom skillet. Cast iron heats evenly and browns the best without sticking.
