Cauliflower alla Cavour

By John, 8 July, 2023
Region
Italy
Description

"Cavolfiore alla Cavour"Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour was a hugely important 19th century Sardinian and Piedmontese politician and patriot who also is known for his favorite dishes of traditional Piedmontese cuisine. Like many Piedmontese dishes, this one uses butter where recipes from more southerly states would use olive oil, and it uses the Grana Padano cheese of Piemonte and Lombardia where other dishes would use Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Yield
4 Servings
Preparation time
30 minutes
Cooking time
30 minutes
Total time
1 hour
Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
4 Medium-cooked eggs (cooked 8 minutes)
5 Anchovies (rinsed)
1 t Fresh Parsley (chopped)
8 T Butter (Unsalted)
2 oz Grana Padano cheese (grated)
1⁄2 Lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. Boil a pot of salted water big enough for the cauliflower florets.
  3. While the water comes to the boil, trim the cauliflower by removing the stalk and leaves and cut the cauliflower into florets.
  4. Boil the florets for about ten minutes so that they are tender but not mushy. Remove the florets from the cooking water. If you have not yet boiled the eggs, boil them now for 8 minutes.
  5. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large pan and toss the florets in, then place them in a buttered oven dish, and cover with the grated Grana Padano
  6. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then remove it from the oven and keep warm.
  7. Shell and chop the eggs together with the anchovies and parsley and mix in a bowl but  do not mash it.
  8. Melt the other 4 tablespoons of the butter and pour it over the egg-anchovy-parsley mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Stir well and pour this mixture over the buttery-cheesey baked cauliflower florets. Serve hot.