A couple of years ago I went to my 40th year School reunion, and there was Janet, whom I hadn’t seen since we’d parted ways after Junior school. She’s become a great pal on Facebook and introduced me (electronically speaking) to a friend of hers who also has a ‘cookery-and-other-stuff’ website – www.travelfoodcool.com – a much mightier affair than mine 
This was my first time trying one of Elin’s recipes, so here are the results of the Irish jury…Douze points! (You need to be European to get that joke, and although she has a house in Italy, Elin lives in Canada, so I need to explain – it means ‘Top Marks’ Elin!)
EQUIPMENT:
- A roasting tray
- a freezer bag
- A sheet of baking parchment (optional)
INGREDIENTS: Depending on the size of your cauliflower, this will feed 4-6 people. Our cauliflower was a small organic one, so it did the two of us very nicely thank you
- One cauliflower, cut into florets, and then cut again into bite-sized pieces – not too small – they shrink as they cook.
- 2-3 tablespoons of Olive or Rapeseed oil (I like Rapeseed oil for this, as it doesn’t mind a high heat, has a lovely colour, and is a home-grown product)
- 2-3 tablespoons of grated fresh parmesan cheese
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped or minced in a garlic crusher
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
- Heat your oven to 200C
- Put a sheet of baking parchment onto the baking tray (optional – I just do this because I’m lazy)
- Put the prepared cauliflower into the freezer bag
- add the oil, minced garlic, salt and a good grinding of pepper
- Close the top of the bag and give it all a really good shake to distribute everything evenly.
- Pour the whole lot onto the baking tray
Ready for the oven!
- Put into the hot oven for 30 minutes, turning the pieces of cauliflower halfway through
Half-way through the cooking time – becoming nicely charred
- Remove the tray from the oven, then sprinkle over half of the parmesan. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the last of the parmesan, and give it 10 more minutes.
- It should be golden and charred, with the Parmesan melted in.
- Serve, with a main course of your choice.
NOTES:
- I started the prep during the afternoon, so come cooking time, it got thrown together really quickly as the parmesan was grated and the cauliflower nicely cut up and resting in its freezer bag.
- Don’t add too much salt as the Parmesan can be salty.
- I like roasted Cauliflower with the garlic and oil as in this recipe, but with some added cumin seeds, and finally a sprinkle of ground cumin instead of the parmesan – cauliflower and cumin are a magical mixture. Try it some time, just to ring the changes.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx