This stunningly beautiful Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce is a celebration of exquisite flavours. Best of all, it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare and is so delicious, you may just eat the whole thing yourself.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
2Tablespoonsof olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoonturmeric
1 1/2teaspoon cumin seeds
1teaspoonsea salt (I use Maldon flaky salt)divided
For the tahini Sauce
1/3cuptahini,stirred well
3Tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice
1clovegarlic,grated (or minced)
2Tablespoonsolive oil
pinch of kosher salt
1/4cupice cold water,plus more as needed
Optional garnish
¼cupshelled pistachios,roughly chopped
1/4cupchopped fresh mint leaves
1/4cupfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
flaky salt (I use Maldon)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Top the parchment paper with a wire rack. Alternatively, place a few paper towels on top of the parchment paper. (This is to drain the cauliflower.)
Rinse the cauliflower well. Leaving the main core intact, slice the bottom of the core off the cauliflower so that it sits evenly on the baking sheet. If the cauliflower has a lot of leaves covering the top, trim them down so that most of the top and sides of the cauliflower are exposed. You don't have to trim all the leaves off the cauliflower since once roasted, they are super delicious to eat.
Fill a large pot with 3 inches of water and bring the water to a boil. Carefully place the cauliflower in the pot, head-side up, cover and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes.
Using a large slotted spoon, or a spider, gently lift cauliflower from water and place on prepared baking sheet, stem side down. Let stand until cauliflower has cooled slightly and is dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. This can be done up two hours ahead.
Remove the rack and place the cauliflower back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and use your hands to coat it well. Sprinkle all over with turmeric, salt and cumin seeds. Drizzle again with a little more olive oil (don't rub this time) and transfer to the oven.
Roast in the oven until tender and golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. The exact time will depend on how hot your oven is and the size of your cauliflower so keep an eye on it. Remove it from the oven when it looks sufficiently golden-brown to you with a bit of char in some places.
While the cauliflower roasts, make the tahini sauce. In a medium bowl combine the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and salt. Add the ice water and whisk until smooth and lighter in colour, adding a little more if it needs to be a little looser.
Once the cauliflower is roasted, let sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle the top of the cauliflower with tahini sauce and garnish with the fresh herbs, pistachios, and a pinch or two more flaky salt. Pass the extra tahini sauce around the table for everyone to drizzle a little more.
Notes
Store: Place leftovers in a covered container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop, in a small saucepan or skillet, over medium-low heat, until warmed through. Alternatively, gently heat the leftover cauliflower in the microwave.