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Whole Roasted Cauliflower and Tahini Sauce

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Ingredients

For the whole roasted cauliflower

  • 1 head cauliflower, tough leaves removed and stem trimmed
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling at the end
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling at the end
  • Handful of parsley or cilantro
  • 2 bay leaves

For the tahini sauce:

  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1 clove garlic, ground to a paste with a little salt
  • 3 – 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Water

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 475 F.
  2. Add tahini paste to a large bowl. Add garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and about ½ teaspoon sea salt. Whisk together with a fork, making a thick paste. It will turn a strange color and consistency and you’ll think you’ve ruined it.
  3. Add cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the tahini becomes the consistency of a thick sauce. Taste for lemon and salt and adjust, as desired. Set aside.
  4. Place cauliflower in a pot and add enough water to cover (or almost cover). Add wine and seasonings. Stir. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender. Use a fork to test. It should slip in and out very easily.
  5. Remove the cauliflower from the water, brush with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet or an oven-safe skillet. Place in the oven and let roast for about 45 minutes, or until very dark and beginning to blacken in some spots.
  6. Remove from the oven and drizzle with extra olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature with tahini sauce and zhug (Yemeni hot sauce).

Tahini sauce will keep in the refrigerator for one week.

Contributed by

Lisa Samuel

REGISTERED DIETITIAN & NUTRIONIST