Cauliflower Parmigiana: a hearty vegetarian main course to savour

I’m always looking for hearty vegetarian main courses and this is one such example. It also makes a substantial side dish that’s delicious with roast chicken. It is a vegetarian version of the classic Italian chicken Parmigiana.

Cauliflower is one of those wonder vegetables – delicious, incredibly versatile and healthy. Over the past few years, we’ve seen cauliflower rice, pizza bases and even cauliflower ice-cream. My favourite way to eat it is cauliflower cheese; its distinctive cruciferous taste goes so well with cheese.

This recipe is very simple so as ever try to get good-quality cheese and tomatoes. I use locally made west Cork buffalo mozzarella or Toonsbridge. Ensure you leave it to drain for a while and pat it dry with kitchen paper to remove any excess liquid.

It’s the season for wild garlic and this year there seems to be even more people spotting the wide waxy leaves and foraging for them on their daily walks. Pesto, even though it feels like quite an outdated condiment, is actually the best way to enjoy wild garlic. It preserves the leaves and makes it into one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients.

Baked treats, fermented foods, cocktail and burger kits

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Taiwanese popcorn chicken

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Even blitzing the leaves into a paste with olive oil, a little lemon juice and salt will enable you to add spoons of it to sauces, sandwiches and stews. I usually use toasted sunflower seeds in place of pine nuts; they’re a more affordable option and give the same nutty, creamy texture. The cauliflower crisps up at the edges and the pesto adds a wonderful blast of flavour.

I’ve cut my cauliflower into thick steaks for this dish, so look for the largest head of cauliflower available. I sometimes also make this by spreading the florets in a baking dish and assembling as I would cauliflower cheese, but with the tomato sauce and mozzarella on top. Another way to ring the changes is to add jalapeños and coriander in place of the basil.

Recipe: Cauliflower Parmigiana