Caulini

There are certain foods that come to mind when you go back to some of your fondest memories.  Foods like cauliflower or brussels sprouts--foods your mom wanted you to finish, but you were too stubborn to, so you sat there until they were cold, colder, coldest.  But flash forward to 2009 and you recreate those unpalatable unpleasantries by roasting them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  

Now the transformation is complete.  Your childhood is truly behind you and, yes, you have become your mother (you knew it was inevitable, but you were hoping to stave off the ravages of this brittle reality for a bit longer, weren't you?).  So finish your veggies.

To perfectly finish your veggies, it is essential to take your basic ingredients (said veggie in question, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper) and follow a few basic steps:

It begins when you hear the sizzle of the veggie hitting the hot olive oil.  Your senses are awakened with the pungent aroma of garlic.  You're reminded to flip on the exhaust fan lest your kids stream out of their rooms, pinching their noses and whining, "P.U., what stinks!?"

What stinks, indeed?  It's the bloomin' stinkin' rose that stinks and your mouth is watering in anticipation.  Just writing this entry makes me long for some piping hot brussels sprouts, complete with char marks, roasted in a pan on the stovetop with plenty of garlic.  Pardon me while I have a "Calgon, take me away" moment all to myself.

Last week, in the NY Times, there was an entry about roasted cauliflower sandwiches--the subtle crunch and heady roasted flavor described therein made me giddy with excitement.  

Okay, so cauliflower isn't among the top 10 (or even top 100) ingredients in today's culinary [translation:  trendy] environment, but give me a pristine head of cauliflower, a bag of brussels sprouts, a bunch of earthy beets and I'm a happy girl.