Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower, Pomegranate & Pistachio Salad, and Iranian Herb Fritters

It was a moment of revelation when Yotam Ottolenghi first combined roasted and raw grated cauliflower in the same dish.

Cauliflower, pomegranate and pistachio salad. Picture: Jonathan Lovekin.

Roasted and raw grated cauliflower are so different from one another, but so good together.

CAULIFLOWER, POMEGRANATE & PISTACHIO SALAD

1 large cauliflower

1 medium onion, roughly sliced

80ml extra virgin olive oil

25g parsley, roughly chopped

10g mint, roughly chopped

10g tarragon, roughly chopped

Seeds from ½ pomegranate

40g pistachios, toasted, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1½ tablespoon lemon juice

Salt

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan). Coarsely grate a third of the cauliflower and set aside in a bowl. Break remaining cauliflower into florets, roughly 3cm wide, and add to a separate bowl with cauliflower leaves (if you have any) and onion. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt, toss to combine and then spread out on a large oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Put cooled vegetables into a bowl with remaining olive oil, grated cauliflower and remaining ingredients, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Toss gently then transfer to a platter and serve. Serves 4

Tip: Don’t throw away the leaves of the cauliflower. They’re lovely to eat, roasted and crisp, or grated raw as you would the rest of the cauliflower. If you want to get ahead, roast the cauliflower up to 4-6 hours in advance and keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Iranian herb fritters. Picture: Jonathan Lovekin.

IRANIAN HERB FRITTERS

40g dill, finely chopped

40g basil leaves, finely chopped

40g coriander leaves, chopped

1½ teaspoon ground cumin

50g fresh breadcrumbs (about

2 slices, crusts left on if soft)

3 tablespoons currants

25g walnuts, toasted, chopped

8 large eggs, beaten

60ml sunflower oil, for frying

Salt

Place all ingredients apart from the oil in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well to combine. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large non-stick pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add ladles of batter to the pan. Do four fritters at a time, if you can – you want each of them to be about 12cm wide – otherwise just do two or three at a time. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to plate lined with paper towel while you continue with remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The batter will keep, uncooked, for 1 day in the fridge.) Makes 8

Israeli-British chef and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi is the author of seven cookbooks including Plenty, Jerusalem, Nopi and Sweet. Edited extract from Ottolenghi Simple (Ebury Press, $55). Photography: Jonathan Lovekin