Friday, January 27, 2012

50 Women Game Changers in Food - #32 Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian - Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian are the founders of Edible Communities, the nation's largest publishing company dedicated to the local food movement. They publish 70 magazines across North America and the content of each is region specific, focusing on the farmers, fishermen, chefs and food artisans of the area. The women founded the company to help the public access healthful foods. They met in graduate school where both women earned degrees in Jungian psychology. Following graduation, they moved to Ojai, California where they formed a graphic design and marketing firm called Elements. Their first publication was Edible Ojai and that set the standard for other magazines whose intent was to make better eating accessible. The companies first cookbook, Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods, was published in 2010 and there are four more cookbooks to come. The women are adding magazines to their publishing empire at the rate of 10 per year and their media presence is also growing. Programming of podcasts on Edible Radio is expanding and they hope to be on television, so the stories they wish to tell can be heard by a larger audience. Tracey is a trained chef and did much of the writing for their cookbook. Carole's photographs bring their mission to life. Together they share position 32 on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game Changers in Food.

I've chosen a simple, though classic, dish to highlight the type of food they champion. It is a lovely recipe for roasted cauliflower and its nutty flavor is further improved by the sweetness of raisins and the texture of pine nuts. The recipe is straight forward and really needs no additional explanation. I do, however, have one caution. I found the recipe to be a bit salty and I will reduce the amount of salt by one third when I make it again. You can always add more should you find it necessary. Here's their recipe.

Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts...from the kitchenof One Perfect Bite courtesy of Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian from Edible: A Celebration of Local Food

Ingredients:
1 (2-3 pound) medium head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more if needed, divided
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thin sliced crosswise
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg or ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne, optional
1/2 cup golden raisins, dried currants or Thompson raisins

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper.
2) Spread the cauliflower onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir the cauliflower and bake until it is lightly browned and tender, 10 to 20 minutes.
3) In a large skillet or saute pan, cook the pine nuts over medium heat, stirring frequently, until very lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the pine nuts to a dish; set aside. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, if using, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from the heat.
4) In a large bowl, toss the roasted cauliflower with the leek mixture, pine nuts and raisins. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot or at room temperature. Yield: 6 servings.

The following bloggers are also featuring the recipes of Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian today. I hope you'll pay them all a visit. They are great cooks who have wonderful blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast, Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan - The Spice Garden, Heather - girlichef, Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette - Healthy Living
Mary - One Perfect Bite, Kathleen - Bake Away with Me, Sue - The View from Great Island Barbara - Movable Feasts , Linda A - There and Back Again, Nancy - Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Annie - Most Lovely Things, Claudia - Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce - More Time at the Table, Amrita - Beetles Kitchen Escapades

Next week we will highlight the career and recipes of Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton. It will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information no later than Monday, January 30th.

38 comments :

Katarina said...

Sounds really good with roasted cauliflower and pine nuts! Have a great day!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

This looks delicious. I enjoyed reading about these two women. I was surprised as so many magazines have closed down. Good for them.

Fondly,
Glenda

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wow, 10 magazines a year!! I have roasted broccoli, but never cauliflower, this looks good.

Me said...

There is a little shout out for you on my blog. :)

You can find it here.

http://ephemeralwhims.blogspot.com/2012/01/ten-blogs.html

Priya Suresh said...

Mouthwatering here, wat a terrific and super tempting dish

Su m said...

Mary, thank you so much for this sharing - both the recipe and the other blogs.
I think this cauliflower must be just delicious!!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This is definitely a way for me to get my head around cauliflower. Wonderful Mary.

SImple and Serene Living said...

This sounds delicious. I try to eat as much local food as possible. Not always easy in the winter, so I can't wait for the local farmer's market to reopen.
Laura

Kim said...

Roasting cauliflower give it a taste that is really good. That's why I roast it before puree it for a soup. Love this simple and tasty recipe!

Rita said...

Love roasted cauliflower and your recipe must make it even Better; great combination.
Rita

Sue/the view from great island said...

Great recipe, I think cauliflower is one of the few veggies that can stand a little added flavor. I really enjoyed exploring the Edible communities, they're such a great resource.

Heather S-G said...

This is such a great choice...I love the sound of these three main ingredients!

Barbara said...

This looks delicious, Mary. The pine nut addition sounds perfect.

Linda said...

This is a fabulous recipe! I love raisins and pine nuts with roasted cauliflower!! Yumm!!

StephenC said...

This gets one of my "Right Up My Alley" awards.

Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits said...

What a nice background on the women. The recipe sounds truely delicious.

Giovanna said...

complimenti un blog fantastico mi sono aggiunta se ti va passa mi farebbe piacere

Emily Malloy said...

Delicious recipe!

Skye (Skye Loves...) said...

I love raisins and pine nuts in savoury dishes. Absolutely love them. Will definitely have to give this a try - it sounds like a divine combination.

Pure Complex said...

I just LOVE cauliflower. I eat it as much as I eat broccoli. So I am definitely excited to try this recipe out. And thanks for letting me know about the cookbook :). I hope you enjoy your weekend

Claudia said...

I never saw this recipe - I love roasted cauliflower on its own. I can only imagine how grand this is with the raisins and pine nuts. Next time I roast cauliflower (happens a lot), I'll be right here.

The Single Nester said...

I do love cauliflower and golden raisins!

Jeanette said...

My kids love roasted cauliflower, but I don't usually add a topping like this recipe. It sounds awfully good. I'll have to give this a try.

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

this is gorgeous...my hubs would love it..;)
Tasty Appetite

teresa said...

what an exotic dish, this looks delicious!

Balvinder said...

Roasted cauliflower sounds delicious. I can have it for appetizer. I love nuts in my vegetables. there is one thing more I add, Turmeric.
Your Game changers in Food sounds interesting to me.Good work Mary.
Have a great weekend!

Suzi said...

Lovely post and the cauliflower does look tempting. I have not yet tried roasting it but I do have two heads nearly ready in my garden. This will be a wonderful way to toast and roasst my homegrown cauliflower. What do you think?

Joanne said...

I really don't make side dishes often enough...need to change that! This cauliflower sounds delicious! I love the mix of sweet and salty.

The Harried Cook said...

Yummy!I love cauliflower.. this sounds perfect and delicious!

Vicki Bensinger said...

Cauliflower must be the rage right now because I've literally seen 4 posts on it today. I've never been a huge fan of it but I do like it. Your recipe sounds very tasty. Thank you for sharing it.

Becki's Whole Life said...

I love the flavors in this dish, Mary. The cauliflower and raisins makes such a good pairing.

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious and you KNOW I love roasted cauliflower! Thanks for the information on Tracey and Carole...truly amazing women!

BeetleBuggy said...

You're right, Mary, this is simple but a classic. Cauliflower's are one of my favorites and I usually fry them in a wok. I'm going to try baking them this way next :D

annie@mostlovelythings said...

I love the idea of roasting cauliflower...I have learned so much through this project.
annie

Bubbe Bites said...

Your picture looks so yummy! You picked a great recipe to share with us as always.

Aileen said...

I too love cauliflower. This is a new way to enjoy it as I mostly have it steamed or in mixed stir fried veggies.

Casey said...

I have some pine nuts waiting to be used and this sounds like a good way to use them. I would not have thought of combining cauliflower and pine nuts.

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Oooh, this looks good and an unusual flavor combo. I'm intrigued. Think I'll have to try this.

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