A whole roasted cauliflower is a stunning centrepiece on the dinner table. The taste of this is incredible; you’ll be surprised by the deliciously warm spiced and nutty tahini coating. I’ve used ras el hanout, a fantastic blend of spices from Morocco and North Africa. It translates to “head of the shop” — a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer — and it really is the “top shelf” of their spices.
Ingredients
| 1 medium | Cauliflower (Main) |
| 2 tsp | Ras el hanout, see pantry notes below (Main) |
| 3 Tbsp | Tahini (Main) |
| 2 tsp | Lemon juice |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 Tbsp | Water |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
| ½ cup | Finely chopped parsley |
| ½ cup | Mint, finely chopped |
| ½ cup | Coriander, finely chopped |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 Tbsp | Lemon juice |
| 2 tsp | Lemon zest |
| ⅓ cup | Roasted hazelnuts, peeled and chopped; see pantry notes below (Main) |
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Directions
- Heat oven to 200C. Brush an ovenproof dish with olive oil.
- Trim the base of the cauliflower so that it stands up. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook for 8 minutes, drain and pat dry.
- Mix ras el hanout with tahini, 2 tsp of lemon juice, olive oil, water and salt, and spread all over cauliflower with clean hands.
- Roast cauliflower for 30 minutes or until it can be pierced easily with a fork. Increase oven temperature to 220C and cook for additional 5-10 minutes.
- Mix herbs with olive oil, lemon juice, zest and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Drizzle roast cauliflower with herb oil and top with roasted hazelnuts.
Pantry notes
- Ras el hanout is available at most supermarkets and speciality food stores or order online atequagold.co.nz
- To roast hazelnuts, bake in the oven at 160C for 15 minutes, taking care not to over-roast, allow to cool then rub in a clean towel to remove skins.
