Serves 4
Last year, when a tortilla hack flooded the Internet -- savory fillings enveloped in a tortilla and folded into a triangle -- cooks at The Plate in Milton decided that their version of this handheld meal, which resembles a flower blossom, would be great on their menu. This time of year they roast a lot of cauliflower, so they began there, with grilled red onions and their signature homemade curried ketchup (originally the glaze for turkey meatloaf). Shaved fresh fennel, turmeric yogurt, and grated Emmental round things out. Chef-owner Suzanne Lombardi, who created the blossom tortilla with her right-hand woman, Taylor Furgal, says, "Nothing harsh or heavy, [just] really satisfying." Lombardi, founder of Dancing Deer Baking Co. and co-founder of Tiny Trapeze Confections, has been serving homemade comfort food for breakfast and lunch at The Plate in Milton since 2012. The cafe/restaurant is upstairs at Milton Marketplace. A dinner meal share program is starting in February with online orders. Furgal came to The Plate when she was a high school student at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton. She and Lombardi create a lot of produce-centric sandwiches and soups, with flavor inspirations from around the world. This sandwich has a lot of moving parts, none complicated or time consuming. Once the cauliflower is roasted, the onions grilled, the yogurt seasoned with turmeric, and the fennel marinated, spread them in quadrants on extra-large flour tortillas and fold into fourths to make big triangles. The tortilla folding is easy but read the instructions first before you fold. At this point, the sandwiches can be crisped in a skillet and served at once or refrigerated for a day and browned on a night when dinner needs to be on the fly. At The Plate, says Lombardi, the staff "all love to cook and all love to eat." That shows with the first bite of this glorious sandwich.
KETCHUP
| 1 | teaspoon canola oil |
| 1 | shallot, finely chopped |
| 1 | clove garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 | piece (1/2 inch) fresh ginger, finely chopped |
| ½ | teaspoon Madras curry powder |
| ¼ | cup dried apricots |
| 1 | plum tomato, coarsely chopped |
| ¼ | cup apple cider vinegar |
| ¼ | cup water, or more if needed |
| 2 | tablespoons sugar |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the canola oil. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the shallot is tender.
2. Stir in the apricots, tomato, cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the apricots soften.
3. In a food processor or blender, puree the mixture until it is smooth. If the ketchup is too thick, thin it with water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Transfer to a bowl large enough to hold all the vegetables; refrigerate until cool.
ONION
| 1 | large red onion, cut into 1-inch rounds |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. Brush both sides of the onion rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle or grill pan over high heat. Grill the onions for 8 to 10 minutes on a side, or until they are charred and tender.
2. When they are cool enough to handle, chop them and stir them into the ketchup.
CAULIFLOWER
| ½ | cup olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon Madras curry powder |
| ½ | teaspoon ground turmeric |
| 1 | tablespoon garam masala |
| ¼ | teaspoon crushed red pepper |
| 1 | piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 | large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds) cored and cut into florets |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| Juice of 1 lime |
1. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, red pepper, ginger, and garlic. Stir well. Add the cauliflower florets and toss well. Transfer to the baking sheet; spread the florets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
3. Roast the cauliflower for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are browned and tender but not soft.
4. Transfer the cauliflower to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Toss with lime juice, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if you like. Add the cauliflower to the ketchup mixture.
YOGURT
| ½ | teaspoon ground turmeric |
| 1 | teaspoon hot water |
| ½ | cup plain Greek yogurt |
| Juice of 1/2 small lemon | |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
1. In a bowl, combine the turmeric and the hot water; whisk until the turmeric dissolves.
2. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk well.
FENNEL
| 1 | small bulb or 1/2 large bulb fresh fennel |
| Juice of 1/2 small lemon | |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. Remove and discard the fennel stalks and fronds. Slice the bulb in half. Remove and discard the hard core at the base of the bulb. Use a mandoline or a very sharp chef's knife to slice the fennel thinly.
2. In a bowl, toss the fennel with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
TORTILLAS
| 4 | extra-large (12 -inch) flour tortillas |
| 1 | cup grated Emmental or other Swiss cheese |
| 4 | tablespoons canola oil |
1. Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Cut a slit in each tortilla from 3 o'clock to the center of the tortilla. Imagine that the tortilla is now divided into 4 equal triangles (but you're not making more cuts).
2. Spread 1/4 of the cauliflower mixture on the left half of the tortilla so it fills both left triangles, but leave a bit of space at the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese in the top right triangle. Spread 1/4 of the turmeric yogurt in the bottom right triangle, leaving a bit of space at the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shaved fennel on the yogurt. Repeat with the remaining 3 tortillas.
3. To shape triangles: Working with 1 tortilla at a time, first fold the bottom right triangle of fennel and yogurt onto the bottom half of the cauliflower. Then fold up the folded triangle so it covers the top half of the cauliflower. Finally, fold the whole thing over onto the cheese on the top right to form a triangle. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
4. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Place 1 triangle in the pan, cheese layer on the bottom. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes on a side, or until golden and crispy. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Karoline Boehm Goodnick. Adapted from The Plate
Serves 4
Last year, when a tortilla hack flooded the Internet -- savory fillings enveloped in a tortilla and folded into a triangle -- cooks at The Plate in Milton decided that their version of this handheld meal, which resembles a flower blossom, would be great on their menu. This time of year they roast a lot of cauliflower, so they began there, with grilled red onions and their signature homemade curried ketchup (originally the glaze for turkey meatloaf). Shaved fresh fennel, turmeric yogurt, and grated Emmental round things out. Chef-owner Suzanne Lombardi, who created the blossom tortilla with her right-hand woman, Taylor Furgal, says, "Nothing harsh or heavy, [just] really satisfying." Lombardi, founder of Dancing Deer Baking Co. and co-founder of Tiny Trapeze Confections, has been serving homemade comfort food for breakfast and lunch at The Plate in Milton since 2012. The cafe/restaurant is upstairs at Milton Marketplace. A dinner meal share program is starting in February with online orders. Furgal came to The Plate when she was a high school student at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton. She and Lombardi create a lot of produce-centric sandwiches and soups, with flavor inspirations from around the world. This sandwich has a lot of moving parts, none complicated or time consuming. Once the cauliflower is roasted, the onions grilled, the yogurt seasoned with turmeric, and the fennel marinated, spread them in quadrants on extra-large flour tortillas and fold into fourths to make big triangles. The tortilla folding is easy but read the instructions first before you fold. At this point, the sandwiches can be crisped in a skillet and served at once or refrigerated for a day and browned on a night when dinner needs to be on the fly. At The Plate, says Lombardi, the staff "all love to cook and all love to eat." That shows with the first bite of this glorious sandwich.
KETCHUP
| 1 | teaspoon canola oil |
| 1 | shallot, finely chopped |
| 1 | clove garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 | piece (1/2 inch) fresh ginger, finely chopped |
| ½ | teaspoon Madras curry powder |
| ¼ | cup dried apricots |
| 1 | plum tomato, coarsely chopped |
| ¼ | cup apple cider vinegar |
| ¼ | cup water, or more if needed |
| 2 | tablespoons sugar |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the canola oil. Add the shallot, garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the shallot is tender.
2. Stir in the apricots, tomato, cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the apricots soften.
3. In a food processor or blender, puree the mixture until it is smooth. If the ketchup is too thick, thin it with water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Transfer to a bowl large enough to hold all the vegetables; refrigerate until cool.
ONION
| 1 | large red onion, cut into 1-inch rounds |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. Brush both sides of the onion rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle or grill pan over high heat. Grill the onions for 8 to 10 minutes on a side, or until they are charred and tender.
2. When they are cool enough to handle, chop them and stir them into the ketchup.
CAULIFLOWER
| ½ | cup olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon Madras curry powder |
| ½ | teaspoon ground turmeric |
| 1 | tablespoon garam masala |
| ¼ | teaspoon crushed red pepper |
| 1 | piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 | large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds) cored and cut into florets |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| Juice of 1 lime |
1. Set the oven at 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, red pepper, ginger, and garlic. Stir well. Add the cauliflower florets and toss well. Transfer to the baking sheet; spread the florets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
3. Roast the cauliflower for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are browned and tender but not soft.
4. Transfer the cauliflower to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Toss with lime juice, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if you like. Add the cauliflower to the ketchup mixture.
YOGURT
| ½ | teaspoon ground turmeric |
| 1 | teaspoon hot water |
| ½ | cup plain Greek yogurt |
| Juice of 1/2 small lemon | |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
1. In a bowl, combine the turmeric and the hot water; whisk until the turmeric dissolves.
2. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk well.
FENNEL
| 1 | small bulb or 1/2 large bulb fresh fennel |
| Juice of 1/2 small lemon | |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| Salt and pepper, to taste |
1. Remove and discard the fennel stalks and fronds. Slice the bulb in half. Remove and discard the hard core at the base of the bulb. Use a mandoline or a very sharp chef's knife to slice the fennel thinly.
2. In a bowl, toss the fennel with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
TORTILLAS
| 4 | extra-large (12 -inch) flour tortillas |
| 1 | cup grated Emmental or other Swiss cheese |
| 4 | tablespoons canola oil |
1. Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Cut a slit in each tortilla from 3 o'clock to the center of the tortilla. Imagine that the tortilla is now divided into 4 equal triangles (but you're not making more cuts).
2. Spread 1/4 of the cauliflower mixture on the left half of the tortilla so it fills both left triangles, but leave a bit of space at the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheese in the top right triangle. Spread 1/4 of the turmeric yogurt in the bottom right triangle, leaving a bit of space at the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shaved fennel on the yogurt. Repeat with the remaining 3 tortillas.
3. To shape triangles: Working with 1 tortilla at a time, first fold the bottom right triangle of fennel and yogurt onto the bottom half of the cauliflower. Then fold up the folded triangle so it covers the top half of the cauliflower. Finally, fold the whole thing over onto the cheese on the top right to form a triangle. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
4. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Place 1 triangle in the pan, cheese layer on the bottom. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes on a side, or until golden and crispy. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.