I am currently obsessed with whole roasted cauliflower. I love attractive food that presents well (and this is definitely one of those dishes), which makes it a great dish for entertaining. Also, have I mentioned that it is delicious?
Cauliflower adapts well to a variety of flavors so be sure try this technique with other spice blends.*
1 medium size cauliflower
2 tbsp The Middle Eastern
olive oil
Remove excess leaves and core from bottom of cauliflower, being careful not to cut yourself.** I find cutting a triangle around the core makes it easy to just pull it out. Make sure cauliflower can stand upright.
Add about 2″ of water to the bottom of a large pot and place cauliflower in it. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 12 – 14 minutes. Remove from the pot with a metal spoon (and spatula if necessary) and let cool for 10 minutes.***
Mix about a tbsp. of the spice blend with olive oil and drizzle into the core of the cauliflower so that the inside can get a bit of seasoning. Brush the outside with olive oil and and sprinkle generously with the spices.
Place in a pan and roast in an oven preheated to 400° for 20 – 30 minutes until golden brown all over and some bits are charred slightly.
*Note: If you do decide to adapt this recipe to other blends, The Herbed Turkey is a fave of mine on cauliflower, along with The Everything Spice.
**Note: If you want to keep the leaves attached, you can. It makes for a pretty picture and they crisp up like kale chips, but it means that you may not be able to season the inside.
***Note: If you hate two step processes, skip the blanching and roast cauliflower either covered tightly with foil or in a covered dutch oven for the first 20-30 minutes then uncover to brown it. It takes forever but you can definitely get on with your life while it is cooking.