Tahini roasted cauliflower

I know you may not feel like turning on the oven or roasting anything right now but despite the season, I can't seem to veer too far away from my regularly scheduled kitchen programming.  I couldn't resist sharing this because I've become smitten with this little tahini roasted cauliflower recipe.

For the most part, I'm basically a purist when it comes to vegetables ("purist" or "boring", you decide...).  I am perfectly happy with a plate of plain, steamed vegetables.  I steam carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower with almost clockwork-like regularity each week.  I also do stir-fry and love roasting vegetables but don't usually stray far from just olive oil and basic seasonings to jazz it up.

That said, I do branch out once in a while and I'm beginning to think I should do it more often!  I can see (and taste) the merit of a good dressing and how adding other elements can really make a vegetable dish sing.  This tahini roasted cauliflower is a perfect example.  The cauliflower is tossed in a mixture of tahini, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and capers before roasting, then topped with lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley once it's out of the oven.  It makes a divine result.

So I finally bought tahini - entered the world of homemade hummus - and started thinking about other ways to use this nutty sesame paste that's like a milder cousin to peanut butter.

Anticipating this foray into cooking with tahini, I ripped out a sheet of recipes from Cooking Light a few months back.  This cauliflower recipe was a "staff fave" and given I buy a head of cauliflower almost every week to steam or roast, it was one of the first things I tried.

Well...this is now one of my favorite ways to eat cauliflower!  My husband and I are totally smitten with it.  Because here's what happens...the cauliflower get coated with this tahini mixture and as it roasts, this dressing creates a kind of “crust” on the cauliflower.  It's almost like it’s been breaded and lightly fried.  As for flavor, the tahini adds a wonderful light richness and nuttiness.  The capers are one of the best parts of the dish, given the dish a little briny tartness.  

I might still be steaming my vegetables and eating on the plain side most days but this is definitely going into my vegetable rotation.  It's easy to make and delicious, dressed-up enough as a wonderful side-dish for a dinner party (I'm even thinking Thanksgiving).


Grab a big, big bowl (large enough to fit the 6 cups of cauliflower florets about to go in) and mix the dressing together to start.  You need 1/3 cup of tahini paste, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon (or so) of red pepper flakes, and about 2 tablespoons of drained capers.  I like to whisk all the ingredients together before adding the capers last so as not to break them up.

Not that you need to be scientific about it, but I was doing some research on how many cups of florets you can get from a head of cauliflower.  It looks like 1 1/2 cups per pound is the standard rule of thumb but I found that a medium-size head roughly gets you there.  

Chop the florets fairly small, throw it into the bowl, and toss it well to coat with the tahini dressing.  To bake, heat the oven to 475 degrees.  If you have a convection option in your oven, use it.  I never use the convection for baking desserts but for roasting vegetables, I find it browns the vegetables far more than baking on the regular setting.  Spread the cauliflower evenly onto a foil-lined baking sheet lightly greased with baking spray.  Roast for about 15 minute, stirring halfway through.  

When it's done, take it out of the oven, and immediately season it with coarse salt, the juice of half a lemon, and a couple of tablespoons of parsley.  Add a little more red pepper flakes, if you like (I do).  Since I keep toasted sesame seeds in my cupboard, I sprinkled some of that over top as well.

This cauliflower tastes almost luxurious to me.  The tahini adds a richness and the coating on the cauliflower gives it a texture that's almost similar to something fried. It's a great side-dish for cauliflower fans.  I heated up leftovers the next day and it still tasted fantastic.

Recipe:

Tahini Roasted Cauliflower

Recipe adapted from May 2015 issue of Cooking Light

- Serves 6 - 

1/3 cup tahini 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon (or to preference) crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons drained capers
6 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium size cauliflower)
Half a lemon
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees (I use the convection mode on my oven).  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray foil with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk tahini, olive oil, and red pepper flakes together.  Gently whisk in the capers.  Add cauliflower florets and toss well to coat.  Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Roast for 15 minutes, stirring about halfway through the time.  

Remove pan from the oven.  Immediately squeeze juice of half a lemon over top. Sprinkle with salt, parsley, and some additional red pepper flakes, if desired.  (If you happen to have toasted sesame seeds on hand like I do, sprinkle some over top.) Transfer to a serving platter and serve.