Chef Anne's Spice Roasted Cauliflower with Japanese Artichokes

First of all, raw cauliflower appalled me. It never tasted like much and then the little "leaves" on it swishing around in my mouth as I crunched down on these as a child was just plain terrible. So, starting off with this recipe was not that exciting to me. Not to mention there is little prep, more time involved in letting it bake, so naturally that doesn't allow me to drink much Red wine- so I'm even more annoyed by this cooking experience. 

At my local store, they didn't have Japanese Artichokes (I almost swapped out for normal artichokes- what a mistake that would have been- I'm amateur I know) so I googled its substitutes and "boom," parsnips. What are parsnips? I had no clue but the store had them. 

I followed Chef Burrell's directions step by step, sip of Gnarly Head Cabernet every step of the way. It was pretty simple- mix EVOO, kosher salt, cayenne, ground cumin throw them on a baking sheet and "BAM'" 45-55 minutes in the oven. 

As these beauties roasted away in that oven of mine and as I quickly poured my last bit of wine from the first bottle into my glass, little did I know how amazing these simple vegetables were going to be. 

After letting them cool, I threw on some fresh chives and took my first bite. 

What a perfect balance of roastedness and spice- nothing to make you need to gulp your water (or wine if you are me), the spice roasted cauliflower and parsnips were simply perfect. I will never talk down about you cauliflower, NEVER again in my life. You are now so amazing to me! And that was day/recipe one of cooking like a ROCK STAR!