Showtime cauliflower: A vegetarian main with flavor to spare
Everything is delicious at the Berber & Q shawarma bar in central London, said J.M. Hirsch in Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street magazine. “But the standout is the cauliflower shawarma”—the cauliflower blanched, then roasted, and finally smothered in “a wild tangle of flavors.”
Inspired by that dish, the Milk Street team has developed a recipe in which a head of cauliflower is steam-roasted until tender, then slathered with spiced tahini that caramelizes under a hot broiler. Grated fresh tomatoes and a pungent garlic-chili oil finish the dish, along with a shower of parsley and toasted pine nuts. “The result is an impressive, incredibly flavorful vegetarian main or hearty side.”
Recipe of the week
Cauliflower with spiced tahini and garlic-chile oil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 2-lb head cauliflower, trimmed
½ tsp red pepper flakes (or more, to taste) 2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 ripe but firm tomatoes, halved
¼ cup tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve 2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground sumac ¾ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Heat oven to 475, with a rack in a middle position. Line a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly brush foil with oil. Place cauliflower in center, then draw up edges of foil; drizzle 2 tbsp water onto cauliflower, then enclose it, folding and crimping edges of foil to seal. Bake until a skewer inserted into the cauliflower (through the foil) meets no resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven and let wrapped cauliflower cool for 10 minutes. Carefully open foil but leave in place under cauliflower; set aside to cool.
While cauliflower cools, in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low, cook ¼ cup oil, pepper flakes, and garlic, stirring, until mixture sizzles lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in ¼ tsp salt, and set aside.
Grate tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater set in a medium bowl, pressing cut sides against grater, until only the skin remains; discard skins. Stir in pinch of salt and set aside.
In a small bowl stir together tahini and lemon juice. Then stir in 2 tbsp water, adding more as necessary, 1 tbsp at a time, until mixture is a smooth, spreadable paste. Stir in cumin, sumac, cardamom, cinnamon, and ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper.
Heat broiler. Spread tahini mixture over entire surface of cauliflower, then broil until deeply browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cool for about 5 minutes. Spoon tomato pulp over top, drizzle with the chile-garlic oil, and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts. Cut into wedges, like a cake, at the table, and offer lemon wedges on the side. Serves 4 to 6.