Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini-Parsley Sauce
Published October 20, 2009
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, to taste, cut in half, green shoots removed
1 cup sesame tahini
¼ to ¾ cup fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (2 bunches)
Nutritional analysis per serving
19 grams carbs; 328 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 527 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the cauliflower. Blanch for two minutes, and transfer to the ice water. Drain and blot dry. Transfer to a baking dish.
- Step 2
Season the cauliflower with salt and pepper, and toss with the olive oil. Place in the oven, and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring from time to time, until tender and lightly browned.
- Step 3
Puree the garlic cloves with ¼ teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in the sesame tahini. Whisk in the lemon juice, beginning with the smaller amount. The mixture will stiffen up. Gradually whisk in up to ½ cup water, until the sauce has the consistency of thick cream (or runny yogurt). Stir in the parsley. Taste, and adjust salt and lemon juice. Serve with the cauliflower. You will have some sauce left over.
Variation: A plain tahini-garlic sauce is made the same way, without the addition of parsley.Advance preparation: The color won’t be as nice, because the acid in the lemon juice will dull the green of the parsley. But the sauce will taste good for three or four days. Keep in the refrigerator. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
Comments
Please, please do not boil the cauliflower. Here is how to cook it. Get two identical rimmed baking sheets. Toss the raw, cold florets with some olive oil on one of the sheets, then invert the other sheet on top of it. Roast at 425 for 10-15 minutes. This will lightly steam them in their own moisture. Take the top sheet off, shake the sheet with the florets on it (or flip them one by one if you have the patience), then put back in for another 10-15 minutes. Caramelized, cooked, not soggy.
The key to the tahini-parsley sauce is a 1-to-1 ratio of lemon juice to tahini (it's always perfect). But make one-fourth or even one-half the sauce recipe. I made half and that was too much.
I par-cook cauliflower in the microwave to kick start cooking, about 3 minutes in a microwave safe bowl for the quantity in this recipe - it should be steamy but still uncooked. Then add oil and S&{ and stir up really well. You can even turn the heat up to 425F to get more and faster browning for the cauliflower. I do this with lots of hard vegetables. It's a great way to get roasted vegetables done while preparing the rest of the meal and greatly reduces total cooking time.
I split the cauliflower into two, removed the core and microwaved it for 5 min. Then roasted the cauliflower pieces. I added a Serrano chili to the tahini sauce and whirled all the ingredients in a mini food processor to a nice consistency. I added diced Mediterranean cucumber, diced Campari tomatoes and Turkish meats balls all o. A bed of butter lettuce. I also had a sriracha/yogurt sauce on hand. So good!
So steam the cauliflower in the oven, microwave or otherwise and do 1:1 tahini to lemon juice and make a lot less! Thanks!
Add to lettuce, with salsa stuff like cuc and tomato. Add spoon of yogurt instead of garlic.