METHOD
To make the dukkah
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry saucepan over a low heat, stirring regularly, until they begin to colour. Set aside.
Melt the butter over a low heat, allowing it to brown a little. Add the ground coriander and cumin and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add the nuts and toasted sesame seeds. Reduce the heat and cook for 2 minutes more, still stirring.
To finish, add the chilli powder and season with salt. This will last for two weeks in the fridge. Its nutty, fiery crunch enhances dishes, particularly roast root veg, salads and this sultry roasted cauliflower.
To roast the cauliflower
Preheat the oven to 165°C.
Put the lemon zest and juice in a bowl along with the oil, paprika, cinnamon and some salt and pepper. Mix into a paste, then rub it all over the cauliflower, making sure you get it into every nook and cranny.
Put the cauliflower in a shallow casserole or baking dish and pour the stock all around. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Add the butter, mushrooms, garlic and port or sherry, then return to the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Remove the cauliflower, then add the spinach to the casserole or baking dish, tossing to coat in the cooking juices. Allow to wilt a little for 1–2 minutes over a gentle heat. Season.
To serve
Spoon the spinach onto the centre of a serving plate. Put the cauliflower on top, then scatter over the almonds and grapes and finish with a sprinkle of dukkah.
RECIPE INFORMATION
I’ve treated this cauliflower like a roast dinner. I wanted a meatless centrepiece that could be the star of the show, even on Christmas Day. I’ve come late to Middle Eastern flavours – a result, no doubt, of my rigid and sometimes insular classical French training – but thankfully I’ve always been curious and hungry both for knowledge and the food itself. Dukkah is a wonder. Its nutty, fiery crunch enhances dishes when the mood takes me. It’s particularly good with roast root veg, salads and this cauliflower dish.
INGREDIENTS
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 whole cauliflower
300ml vegetable stock
80g butter, diced
250g chestnut mushrooms, left whole
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
a splash of port or sweet sherry
2 handfuls of baby spinach
a handful of salted almonds
20 seedless black grapes, halved
For the dukkah:
50g sesame seeds
50g butter
2 tsp coriander seeds, roughly ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, roughly ground
80g roasted cashews, roughly chopped
a pinch of chilli powder
Allergens highlighted in bold.
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