Cauliflower with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Ben saw this recipe Sunday afternoon on Lidia's Italy. He looked online and located it here. The only exception to the whole foods plant-based diet is the olive oil. I'm not going to claim to know everything about what the strict diet calls for as we are still easing into it. But no matter your diet,  this recipe was amazingly delicious and so rich. I'm not a fan of olives, but they are whole so I just dished mine over to Ben and Adelaide. We ate it for dinner with a baked sweet potato each. The kids loved it, too, although I didn't give much to Charlie because of the high amount of salt, which is not good for babies. We used Kalamata olives instead of Italian olives, which may have added to the saltiness. Next time I will lessen the amount of salt, maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Cauliflower with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes, slightly adapted from Lidia's Italy

1 large cauliflower, about 2.5 pounds

1 medium onion

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

2 teaspoons kosher salt

a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup pitted black Italian olives 

Tear off the tough outer leaves at the base of the cauliflower, and cut out the tough core. Cut the branches into small florets (about 1 inch), and cut any small tender leaves into pieces. Peel the onion and without trimming away the root end, slice it into eight thin wedges. The onion layers should still be attached at the root end, so each wedge remains intact. 

Pour the olive oil into a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, set it over medium heat, and toss in the garlic cloves. When they start to sizzle, strew the cauliflower over the pan bottom, and drop in the onion pieces here and there. Season with salt and red pepper flakes, if using, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan. Let the vegetables cook without stirring for 20 minutes or so, softening in their own juices until the florets and wedges begin to take on color on the bottom. If the pieces are soft but not caramelizing, uncover the pan, raise the heat a bit, and cook a few minutes longer. 

When the vegetable pieces are caramelized on one side, gently tumble them over. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and olives in the pan, stir gently to distribute them, then cover and cook until the tomatoes release their juices, about 5 minutes. 

Finally, remove the cover, raise the heat, and bring the pan juices to a boil. Cook until the juices are syrupy and the vegetables are caramelized all over, another 5-10 minutes. Heap on a platter or in a casserole dish and serve warm or at room temperature.