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Put the cauliflower in a steamer above an inch or two of salted water.
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Cover and cook until it is just tender, about 10 minutes, then plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
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3
Combine the oil, anchovies, garlic, and hot pepper if youre using it in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium-low.
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4
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies begin to break up and the garlic begins to color, about 5 minutes.
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Add the cauliflower and raise the heat to medium-high.
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Continue to cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes more, until the cauliflower is coated with oil and heated through.
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Garnish and serve hot or at room temperature.
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8
Anchovies come in three forms: canned, paste, and salted.
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Canned are most familiar and a nearly ideal convenience food.
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Its worth pointing out that you want to buy those packed in olive oil, never soy or cottonseed; the ingredients should read anchovies, olive oil, saltno more.
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Anchovy paste is marginally more convenient.
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But its more than twice as expensive by weight as canned anchovies, and it often contains cream, butter, preservatives, and other unnecessary ingredients.
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Salted anchovies, which are sold in bulk in Italian markets from a large can or bucket, are delicious, but a hassle: before using them, you must rinse them and peel each fillet off the skeleton.
