55bmw A Piccata With a Smart, Meatless Twist

Image“I made this over Christmas and it was a very real hit with my family,” wrote a reader of Hetty Lui McKinnon’s cauliflower piccata.Credit...Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

I’m back from my trip to Turkey and Kurdistan55bmw, where, you won’t be surprised to hear, I ate spectacularly well. I was treated to ripe figs and juicy melon; yogurt-swirled dips scooped up with homemade flatbread; singed grilled fish brushed with pomegranate molasses; meaty kebabs cut from every part of the cow and lamb; and so many honeyed, flaky pastries that I think I might have to go on a baklava break, at least for a day or two. Such abundance in all things — except for vegetables.

There was parsley in the tabbouleh, and a garnish of tomatoes, onions and chiles with the kebabs, sure, but my recommended daily veggie intake fell deep in debt. I’ve been making up for it since I got back, with Hetty “Greens New Deal” Lui McKinnon virtually at my side.

Hetty, queen of vegetable-centric recipes, is always throwing in at least one smart twist that really makes her dishes shine. In her cauliflower piccata, she roasts the florets until they caramelize, turning nutty and intensely flavored so they can hold their own in a lemony, buttery sauce studded with capers and bits of shallot. Many piccata dishes are spooned over pasta, but Hetty doubles down and suggests instead using more vegetables, such as blistered green beans, for a verdant contrast.

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Cauliflower Piccata

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You’ll find even more color and more produce in Ham El-Waylly’s vegetable tortilla soup. With a broth dyed fuchsia from caramelized red cabbage, it’s got chipotle chiles for smoky depth and pinto beans for protein and heft. Or go speedy with Zainab Shah’s 30-minute broccoli korma, which earns its richness and gentle sweetness from a mix of coconut milk and almond butter that’s hit with a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper for a lingering heat.

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