Braised Cauliflower With Anchovies and Capers

Any time capers mingle with anchovies and garlic, I’m happy. You might think these are very strong flavors, but when they are used sparingly they add a lovely layer of salty/savory flavor to whatever dish they grace.

When I serve this to my family, do I mention that there are anchovies in it? Nope, I don’t. Do they think it’s delicious? Yup, they do.

Brown the cauliflower in the pan before braising it, and don’t cook it too long in the liquid or it will lose its great, firm texture. If you want a vegetarian version, skip the anchovies and use vegetable broth.

I was making this for the second time when I realized I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I grabbed a bag of baby arugula from the fridge and it was a happy amendment. In fact, it made me realize that chopped arugula is a great alternative to chopped parsley on any number of dishes, offering a different, slightly bitter and bracing green note.

I’ll be keeping arugula on hand for just this purpose.

1 large head cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons capers, drained

4 anchovies, rinsed and minced

Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Splash dry white wine

1 cup less-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley or 1 cup baby arugula leaves, roughly chopped (optional)

Cut cauliflower into small florets.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to lightly brown in some spots.

Push cauliflower to one side and add garlic, capers and anchovies so that they hit the bottom of the pan, and season with salt and pepper.

Stir mixture into the olive oil until the garlic turns golden and you can smell everything.

Push cauliflower back to center of pot and stir to incorporate anchovy mixture into cauliflower, so it coats the vegetables. Season with more salt and pepper

Pour in wine and give everything a stir.

Add broth and bring to simmer. Cover; reduce the heat so the liquid remains at a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is just tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. If more than 1/2 cup liquid is left, remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon and simmer remaining liquid until less than 1/2 cup remains, then pour it over the cauliflower.

Stir in or sprinkle parsley or arugula over cauliflower. Serve hot or warm. Serves 6-8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 84 calories, 5g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 255 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 4 g protein