CAULIFLOWER AND CHICKPEA CAKES WITH MOROCCAN SPICES
If you’re looking to supplement with a vegetarian dish, this super-tasty and nutritious recipe checks a lot of boxes. Built around a head of cauliflower, it’s gluten-, egg- and nut-free. It also includes one of 2024’s top 10 superfoods — chickpeas, a great source of vegetable protein.
Harissa, a Moroccan red pepper sauce, gives the crunchy yet still tender cakes just the right amount of spice and smoky flavor. They can be served plain with yogurt, or dress up a salad. They’d also be great stuffed into a soft roll for lunch.
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1 small yellow onion, sliced crosswise into ½-inch-thick rings (about 1 heaping cup)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons mild or spicy harissa sauce, divided, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon sweet paprika ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chickpea flour, divided Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for pan-frying
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, seasoned with
¼ teaspoon salt, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut cauliflower into 1-inch florets and place on a sheet pan. Add onion rings and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss well.
Roast until tender and lightly browned, 30-35 minutes, tossing twice throughout. Set aside until cool.
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic and 3 tablespoons of harissa and process until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add roasted cauliflower and onion to the food processor and process until very finely chopped or “riced,” but not pureed. Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
To the chickpea and cauliflower mixture, add the remaining 1 tablespoon harissa, parsley, brown sugar, paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix well. Add ½ cup of the chickpea flour and mix until smooth.
Place the remaining ½ cup chickpea flour on a flat plate. Use a ⅓- cup measure to scoop portions of the cauliflower-chickpea mixture and form into patties about 1 inch thick. Gently dip patties into chickpea flour until coated on both sides, reshaping if necessary, and place them on a plate. You should get 8 cakes.
Line a plate with paper towels and have at the ready. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil and when it’s hot (a crumb should sizzle) add 3 of the cakes.
Fry, pressing down gently with a spatula until the cakes are about ½-inch thick and golden brown on the bottom, 1-2 minutes.
Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown on the other side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt.
Repeat with remaining cakes, adding more oil as necessary. Serve hot with more harissa and salted yogurt on the side. Serves 4.