MY MISCONCEPTION OF A MAGAZINE RECIPE..

Magazine recipes are a great twist! 

Im not a big recipe "tryer" (is that a word?) from magazines and such. I have tons of magazines and books with recipes in them, but for some reason I never try the recipes ...usually I breeze thought the recipe and think of how to put my own spin on it, or try to take bits and pieces from the recipe to create another recipe. When I received the January issue of Bon Appetit in the mail, I did what I normally do...read the magazine and breeze through the recipes...tricking myself into thinking there are some things I might try to make one day.  I usually read a magazine from front to back 2 times to make sure I covered everything before I go on about the next issue. In this issue there is a recipe for pan-seared cauliflower, and since I love cauliflower (mainly roasted) and eat it all the time, I kept my eye on it.  When I needed to cook something for dinner one night...a month or two later, I was craving something new, so I reverted back to January's cauliflower recipe.  In the recipe theres the Pan Seared Cauliflower "steak" and then a raw cauliflower relish to place on top with black olives, sun dried tomatoes, lemon, and parsley. Ok, I thought...Im not a total fan of sun dried tomatoes but I really wanted to have this for dinner, and I love vegetables anyway. After about my 4th spoonful of relish it hit me that this recipe is ALL THAT. The cauliflower relish is simple, bright and clean and I was literally eating it by itself, shoveling spoonfuls of lemony raw cauliflower in my mouth..not even with the whole dish. The tomato sauce is quick and simple, and like the recipe suggests, the seared cauliflower steak gives it that meaty texture without the actual meat on your plate. I didnt even miss not having meat the first time making this. I was hooked and we had no leftovers. NONE!  The next week this meal was still on my mind, when my mom suggested that I make the relish and sauce again but instead of the cauliflower steak I use a crispy boneless chicken thigh.. Mothers are so smart. A simple boneless roasted chicken thigh went with the relish and sauce without skipping a beat. The clean flavors were still in tact and the chicken didn't weigh the meal down whatsoever. I should be kicking myself for not making recipes from magazines but I have learned my lesson...and of course I put my own spin on things ..


~Add extra lemon juice and zest to your liking for a tangy relish
~Add a few teaspoons of sugar to the simmering tomato sauce to cut some of the bite from the acidic tomatoes
~Add your favorite meat or seafood to this dish. Ive made this dish and accompanied it with a crispy chicken thigh; seared porterhouse steak; and for a lighter version, add a salad on the side.
~Spring has sprung and this recipe would be great to mix and match with fresh spring produce from your local farmers market!