Roast cauliflower with tahini, lemon and toasted cumin

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• 2–3 tbsp water
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds or pine nuts, optional
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the cauliflower going

Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Tip the cauliflower florets into a large roasting tray, add 2 tbsp of the olive oil, season well with salt and black pepper, then toss everything together so it is properly coated. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the cauliflower is tender and catching nicely at the edges. Pale cauliflower has its place, but not really here.

2. Toast the cumin

While the cauliflower roasts, heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds. Toast for 1–2 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until fragrant. Keep an eye on them, because there is a fine line between toasted and regrettable.

3. Make the tahini dressing

In a bowl, mix the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic and the remaining olive oil. Add the water a little at a time, stirring as you go, until you have a smooth dressing that is thick but spoonable. Season with a pinch of salt and a little black pepper. It should taste nutty, sharp and useful rather than heavy.

4. Bring it all together

Once the cauliflower is roasted, transfer it to a serving dish or leave it in the tray if that suits you better. Spoon over the tahini dressing, then scatter over the toasted cumin seeds and most of the parsley.

5. Finish and serve

Scatter over the toasted almonds or pine nuts, if using, and finish with the rest of the parsley. Serve warm, while the cauliflower still has a bit of heat in it and the dressing softens into all the corners nicely.

A couple of helpful notes

- If the tahini dressing thickens too much, loosen it with another splash of water or lemon juice. It has a habit of tightening up as it sits.
- A few chickpeas roasted alongside the cauliflower would make this even more substantial if you want to turn it into more of a meal.
- This is very good with flatbreads, grains or a spoonful of yoghurt on the side if you are not keeping things vegan.