Roasted cauli salad: it’s a cracker

Cauliflower happily soaks up whatever flavours you fancy; the more you throw at it, the more interesting it becomes.

Delish: roasted cauli and chickpea Cypriot salad. Picture: Craig Wall

Cauliflower happily soaks up whatever flavours you fancy; the more you throw at it, the more interesting it becomes. Serve this vibrant salad as a side with grilled lamb or chicken skewers, or make a meal of it by adding dollops of creamy cheese or labneh. If you’re up for a weekend cook-up, pickle some cauliflower for later (see recipe online) – use some atop the salad, saving the rest for mezze or dips. Do yourself a favour and whip this salad out again for the festive season; it’s a Christmas Day cracker.

Roasted cauli & chickpea Cypriot salad

1 head cauliflower

1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 Spanish onion, peeled and sliced into 1cm-thick wedges

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

²/³ cup (125g) fine burghul (see tips)

1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (such as almonds, pistachios, pepitas and sunflower seeds)

Seeds of 1 pomegranate (see tips)

1 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 cup roughly chopped mint

For the dressing

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 heaped tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, finely grated

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Cut cauliflower into quarters, trim off core, break into medium-sized florets and place in a bowl with chickpeas, onion, cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Spread over prepared baking tray; place in oven to roast for 30 minutes until cauliflower is golden and onions are softened and gnarly on the tips.

With 10 minutes to go, scatter the nuts and seeds over the cauliflower mix and roast for 10-12 minutes until they’re golden too.

Meanwhile, place the burghul in a large bowl, pour over 200ml of boiling water and cover; set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss cauli mix, nuts and seeds, burghul, pomegranate seeds, herbs and half the dressing in a bowl. Arrange on a platter; drizzle with extra dressing to serve. Serves 6-8

Pickled pink cauliflower. Picture: Craig Wall

Pickled pink cauliflower

1 cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons sea salt flakes

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1.5 litres water

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

1 large beetroot, peeled and chopped into thin wedges

3 bay leaves

Optional spices

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, water and optional spices in a large saucepan and bring to a steady boil. Pack cauliflower, beetroot and bay leaves into a large sterilised jar or a few smaller jars.

Once the pickling liquor has boiled, carefully it pour over the veg to cover; seal with a clean lid, making sure all the vegetables are submerged. These can be eaten right away – warm, with a pink blush – or next day, and will develop their colour and flavour over a week. Consume within 2-3 weeks.

Top tips

Find cracked burghul (bulgur wheat) in the health food aisle or bulk wholefood stores.

To go gluten-free, use brown rice, puy lentils or quinoa instead.

Make this salad fully plant-based by leaving the yoghurt out of the dressing or adding creamy nut cheese.

To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, cut the fruit in half, turn cut-side down over a bowl and smack the bottoms with a wooden spoon. Or you can buy the seeds pre-picked.

Digital subscribers can see more recipes at theaustralian.com.au/alice-zaslavsky