Couliflower Sicilian Style ~ aka Cavolfiori Affogati

During my college years I used to share my apartment with other college students, and I have changed lots of them. I did my college studies in Rome and they mainly came from south of Italy, where the cooking style is notoriously good.


The greatest moments were when their parents came to visit, bringing with them all kind of goods from home. One of my favorite was a Sicilian stuffed bread, called schiacciata. A popular filling for this delicious focaccia style bread is cavolfiori affogati (literally, drawn cauliflower). Giorgia—that's the name of my Sicilian roommate at the time—used to make fun of me because I would call them cavolfiori annegati instead, which basically means the same thing but I don't know why she though than in the latter they were dead, more so than the former. 


The recipe is quite easy and, as all the traditional recipes, it does not come with right doses, so I am just going to make them up.


Ingredients:

• 1 medium cauliflower (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup of thinly sliced onion (red or yellow)
• 1/2 cup (or more) of grated roman Pecorino cheese
• 3/4 cup of red wine* 
• 1/4 cups of chopped black olives (optional)
• 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

Procedure:

• In a medium pot, layer in this order cauliflower, onion, salt, olives and cheese until you run out of ingredients (I typically do 3). Pour olive oil and wine and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Cool a little before serving. It can be stored in the fridge for  a couple of days and it freezes well.

*At the beginning I misunderstood the recipe and made it with white wine. I kept doing so for about a year and even after discovering the "real" recipe, sometimes I still enjoy using white wine instead.

Linked Up to:
Tuesday Twister
My Meatless Mondays
Hearth and Soul Hop