Roast cauliflower, saffron tahini and cranberry-chilli oil
"Pull this one out for a group; I’ve been known to stick a candle in it and serve it for someone’s birthday. Buy the biggest cauliflower you can to maximize the effect, though two smaller ones also works. I serve it whole and carve it at the table because I love the drama."
This recipe is taken from Centrepiece: Bold, vibrant recipes to put vegetables in the spotlight by Helen Graham (£28, Octopus Publishing Group). Photography by Yuki Sugiura.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1 large cauliflower
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to cook
Cranberry-chilli oil
- 30g of dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp of nigella seeds
- 2 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup, or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp of soy sauce, or tamari
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 100ml of vegetable oil
- 100g of shallots, halved lengthways and finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, halved lengthways, deseeded and finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Saffron tahini
- 1 pinch of saffron threads
- 2 tbsp of boiling water
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 150g of tahini
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of chopped dill
Equipment
- Temperature probe
Method
Start with the cranberry-chilli oil. Soak the dried cranberries in a small bowl of hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and roughly chop
- 30g of dried cranberries
Put the nigella seeds in a heatproof bowl with the Aleppo chilli, cinnamon, paprika, sesame seeds, maple syrup, soy and salt, setting a sieve over the top. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan to 180°C, if you don’t have a thermometer, until the oil sizzles when you drop a shallot slice in
- 1 tbsp of nigella seeds
- 2 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup, or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp of soy sauce, or tamari
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Once ready, add your shallots and chilli, stirring every so often and cooking for 3 minutes or until they are looking soft
- 100g of shallots, halved lengthways and finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, halved lengthways, deseeded and finely sliced
Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent catching, until the shallots are starting to turn golden and look crisp. They will continue to darken once you remove them from the oil, so it’s better to under-fry than over
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Once the shallot mix is ready, pour the oil through the sieve over the spices, then transfer the shallots, garlic and chilli to a plate lined with kitchen paper to allow them to crisp up. Once completely cool, combine them with the spiced oil, then stir in the cranberries. Set aside
Preheat the oven to 240°C
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Trim most of the outer leaves off the cauliflower but leave the rest; they’re delicious when they crisp up. Submerge the cauliflower, stalk side up, in the water and boil gently for 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander in the sink to drain and steam-dry, again stalk side up, for about 10 minutes
Once the cauliflower has drained and steam-dried, transfer to a tray lined with nonstick baking paper, this time stalk side down, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, rubbing them all over the cauliflower. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden and browned
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to cook
Meanwhile, grind the saffron threads to a powder with a pestle and mortar. Add the measured boiling water, stir and allow to steep for 10 minutes
- 1 pinch of saffron threads
- 2 tbsp of boiling water
Add the salt, tahini and lemon juice and whisk to combine before slowly whisking in 60-80ml (4-4½ tablespoons) of cold water until you have a sauce the consistency of pancake batter. If it’s still quite stiff, you may want to add a little more water. Stir in the dill
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 150g of tahini
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of chopped dill
To serve, transfer your cauliflower to a serving dish, pour over the saffron tahini and then serve with the cranberry-chilli oil
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