Recipe Whole baked cauliflower with almond tarator
- Thread starter medtran49
- Start date
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- almond baked cauliflower vegetarian
medtran49
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This was really good. Craig even liked it and he's not usually a big fan of vegetarian/vegan recipes. See notes at bottom.
1 cauliflower (approximately 1kg), outer leaves and large stalks removed
100ml / 7 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp currants
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar, warmed
800g / 28 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (see note)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
Tarator:
100g / 3.5 ounces crustless substantial type bread, torn (I used a rustic country type bread that I make and keep in freezer for things like this, croutons, bread, etc.)
100g / 3.5 ounces blanched almonds, toasted
90g / 3 ounces tahini
2 garlic cloves, chopped
sea salt
1 lemon, zested and then squeezed for juice
Pomegranate Molasses
(optional to make rather than ready made):
250ml / 8.5 ounces pomegranate juice
50g /3.5 Tbsp sugar
residual juice from currants
To Serve (optional)
chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
sprigs of fresh dill
Preheat oven to 400 F/220C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Place the whole cauliflower in a bowl, cover and microwave on high until tender, about 8 minutes. Place the cauliflower on 1 of the baking trays and rub all over with 60 mL oil and season with salt. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.
While the cauliflower is microwaving and baking, make the Tarator. Place the bread into a bowl and soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Add the squeezed bread to a food processor with the almonds, tahini, garlic, some salt, lemon juice and 4 ice cubes and process until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until you have the texture of hummus, adding a little more water if needed.
Place the currants and warm vinegar into a bowl for 15 minutes to macerate the currants. Drain, reserving the liquid in a bowl for later use.
Dry the chickpeas with paper towels. Place in a bowl and toss with the paprika, chilli and remaining oil. Season with salt, then scatter onto the second baking tray and bake in the oven until crisp, about 15 minutes.
If you are making Pomegranate Molasses, place the pomegranate juice into a small saucepan over medium heat and reduce by half. Stir in the sugar and cook until dissolved and slightly thickened. Add the reserved currant juices, a little at a time to taste
To serve, spread the Tarator onto the serving plate. Sit the baked cauliflower on top, then scatter with toasted cumin seeds, crisp chickpeas, sweet and sour currants, lemon zest, parsley and dill if using. Drizzle with the molasses to serve.
Notes: I thought the amount of chickpeas was excessive at 800 grams, that's about two 14-ounce cans in the U.S. So, I decided to cut the amount in half, also cutting the spices in half. Since Craig doesn't like canned chickpeas, I used 3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked them for 6-7 hours, then cooked in water until they were tender. I then added some salt, stirred and let them sit for a couple of hours before draining. I did pick out the skins that separated from the chickpeas after cooking so they would be prettier. And I was right about the amount being excessive. Even though I only used half of what was called for originally, there are at least as much left that I didn't use in above picture, if not more. On the bright side though, Craig really likes them since they are pretty spicy and not overly salty like some canned chickpeas can be.
1 cauliflower (approximately 1kg), outer leaves and large stalks removed
100ml / 7 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp currants
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar, warmed
800g / 28 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained (see note)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
Tarator:
100g / 3.5 ounces crustless substantial type bread, torn (I used a rustic country type bread that I make and keep in freezer for things like this, croutons, bread, etc.)
100g / 3.5 ounces blanched almonds, toasted
90g / 3 ounces tahini
2 garlic cloves, chopped
sea salt
1 lemon, zested and then squeezed for juice
Pomegranate Molasses
(optional to make rather than ready made):
250ml / 8.5 ounces pomegranate juice
50g /3.5 Tbsp sugar
residual juice from currants
To Serve (optional)
chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
sprigs of fresh dill
Preheat oven to 400 F/220C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Place the whole cauliflower in a bowl, cover and microwave on high until tender, about 8 minutes. Place the cauliflower on 1 of the baking trays and rub all over with 60 mL oil and season with salt. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.
While the cauliflower is microwaving and baking, make the Tarator. Place the bread into a bowl and soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Add the squeezed bread to a food processor with the almonds, tahini, garlic, some salt, lemon juice and 4 ice cubes and process until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until you have the texture of hummus, adding a little more water if needed.
Place the currants and warm vinegar into a bowl for 15 minutes to macerate the currants. Drain, reserving the liquid in a bowl for later use.
Dry the chickpeas with paper towels. Place in a bowl and toss with the paprika, chilli and remaining oil. Season with salt, then scatter onto the second baking tray and bake in the oven until crisp, about 15 minutes.
If you are making Pomegranate Molasses, place the pomegranate juice into a small saucepan over medium heat and reduce by half. Stir in the sugar and cook until dissolved and slightly thickened. Add the reserved currant juices, a little at a time to taste
To serve, spread the Tarator onto the serving plate. Sit the baked cauliflower on top, then scatter with toasted cumin seeds, crisp chickpeas, sweet and sour currants, lemon zest, parsley and dill if using. Drizzle with the molasses to serve.
Notes: I thought the amount of chickpeas was excessive at 800 grams, that's about two 14-ounce cans in the U.S. So, I decided to cut the amount in half, also cutting the spices in half. Since Craig doesn't like canned chickpeas, I used 3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked them for 6-7 hours, then cooked in water until they were tender. I then added some salt, stirred and let them sit for a couple of hours before draining. I did pick out the skins that separated from the chickpeas after cooking so they would be prettier. And I was right about the amount being excessive. Even though I only used half of what was called for originally, there are at least as much left that I didn't use in above picture, if not more. On the bright side though, Craig really likes them since they are pretty spicy and not overly salty like some canned chickpeas can be.
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I love it! And bravo for using the microwave. Its such a maligned and neglected piece of kitchen kit. Soaking the currants in vinegar is also a brilliant idea - to add a tartness to the sweet. The tarator adds a smooth comforting blanket...
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