Prevent your screen from going dark
Makes 4 servings 1x
Prep | Cook
In a large pot (stainless steel or enameled), combine 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 4 cups water, 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano; turn the heat to high.
Break or chop the cauliflower into florets.
When the brine comes to a boil, add the cauliflower, cover the pot, and cook until you can barely pierce the cauliflower with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 10 minutes.
Trim and chop 4 celery stalks; put in a large bowl.
Slice 8 roasted red peppers; add them to the bowl.
Pit 2/3 cup green olives if necessary; chop them up a bit. Add to the bowl.
When the cauliflower is ready, drain it, reserving about 1/2 cup of the brine. Add the cauliflower to the bowl along with 1/4 cup olive oil, a splash of the brine, and a sprinkle of pepper. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning, adding more brine if it needs it. Serve warm.
– Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast: Completely Revised and Updated
Warm Broccoli Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Deeply colored and slightly sweeter. Substitute 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar for 1/4 cup of the red wine vinegar, broccoli for the cauliflower, and 1/4 cup pine nuts and 1/4 cup raisins for the celery. Use black olives (oil-cured are my favorite here) instead of green and add up to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese before tossing. Broccoli cooks faster than cauliflower, so start checking on it after 2 minutes.
Warm-Pickled Kale Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
Ideal served over a thick slice of toasted Italian bread. Instead of the cauliflower, trim the bottom stems from 1 pound lacinato kale; slice the leaves crosswise into ribbons about 1 inch thick. Simmer the kale in the brine until slightly softened, just a minute or two. Use kalamata instead of green olives; the rest of the recipe stays the same. Serve the salad topped with shaved Parmesan.
Warm-Pickled Brussels Sprouts Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
You need a food processor for this one. Omit the olives. Substitute 1 pound Brussels sprouts for the cauliflower. After trimming the bottoms, push them through the feed tube of a machine fitted with a 1/4-inch (6 mm) slicing disk. Simmer the Brussels sprouts in the brine until slightly softened, just a minute or two. Add 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard to the salad when you toss it in Step 4.