Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce, Raisins, Hazelnuts and Green Herbs
Servings: 4 as an entree or 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower green leaves trimmed and core cut so that the cauliflower can stand upright.
- 1 Tablespoon unrefined olive oil or melted ghee
- ½ teaspoon paprika this helps to create a nice color
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt divided
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1-2 teaspoons mild raw honey or pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup roasted and skinned hazelnuts roughly chopped
- ¼ cup <g class="gr_ gr_43 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling" id="43" data-gr-id="43">unsulphured</g> green raisins or currants soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained (this plumps them up and makes them soft and juicy)
- ¼ cup capers drained from brine
- 1 cup fresh dill leaves and tender stems
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or 400 degrees on convection.) Line a small baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Place a steamer basket inside a saucepan with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil. Carefully place the cauliflower on the steamer basket, cover and simmer over medium heat for 7 minutes (do a minute or two less for a small head of cauliflower.)
- Remove the cauliflower from the pan and place on the prepared baking sheet. This can be done up to two hours ahead and left at room temperature. In a small bowl, combine the oil, paprika, salt <g class="gr_ gr_46 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="46" data-gr-id="46">and</g> pepper. Brush all over the outside of the cauliflower. Roast in the oven until super tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes. If roasting on convection, check the cauliflower at 30 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, make the sauce: in a medium bowl, whisk tahini, enough water to make a pourable sauce (start with ¼ cup and add more as necessary), lemon juice, garlic, honey <g class="gr_ gr_45 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="45" data-gr-id="45">and</g> ¼ teaspoon salt until combined.
- Place the cauliflower on a rimmed plate or shallow bowl. Arrange the herbs around the cauliflower. Sprinkle the hazelnuts, raisins, and capers on top and around the cauliflower. Drizzle with some of the sauce and pass the remaining sauce on the side.