Cauliflower. What an underestimated ingredient! For sure it was not my favorite during my childhood but as an adult has turned into one of my favorite vegetables. First through an old time classic recipe from my mom "Kounoupidi kapama - Cauliflower in red sauce" and later through modern variations of it - cauliflower rice for example. No need to say that i enjoy finding alternatives to cook it. It did not take long for this recipe to catch my eye while browsing my Instagram home page. I tried it immediately and Mr. Ottolenghi (#ottolenghi) did his miracle! Again! A delicious and healthy recipe with lots of aromas and rich flavors. I present it below and I hope you enjoy it as well :)
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 5 generous tablespoons yoghurt (Greek or Greek style)
- 1 garlic clove
- lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- olive oil
- 2 medium onions
- 2 teaspoons pepper paste
- chili flakes (to taste)
- 1 bunch of fresh mint (thinly sliced)
- 1 handful pine nuts (or any other nuts of choice, i.e. walnuts, cashews, almonds)
- 1 teaspoon sumac
Execution
Break the cauliflower into florets. Place a baking paper into a tray and layer the florets on top. Drizzle with a good amount of extra virgin olive oil (#MaryoArtisanOliveOil) and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees C, thermo- grill) for 25 min - 35 min until golden brown.
In the meanwhile, slice the onions thinly. Fry for 15mins until softened and having a caramelized color. Set aside.
For the yoghurt sauce: add the yoghurt into a bowl. Add the garlic squeezed, half of the lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well until smooth and set aside.
For the red pepper sauce: Add a good splash of olive oil into a pan. Add the red pepper sauce and chili flakes. ( No pepper paste? No worries. I personally added 2 tablespoons sweet paprika with 2 teaspoons of tomato paste and worked just fine).
Add the roasted cauliflower into a bowl. Further add the cooked onions, the mint, some of the red pepper sauce, some pine nuts, the rest of the lemon juice, the sumac and a good drizzle of olive oil. Mix everything well.
Time to plate-up. In a big plate make a layer of the yoghurt sauce to create the base. Add the cauliflower mix on top. Drizzle the red pepper sauce. Sprinkle some pine nuts (or any other you have available). Finish with some fresh mint and a drizzle of olive oil.
Καλή όρεξη- enjoy your meal :)
