Steamed cauliflower stinks. Growing up I couldn’t stand the smell that would permeate beyond the kitchen when my Mom would steam cauliflower. So, for years I didn’t think that I liked cauliflower because it would never make it past my lips based on the smell alone.
Then, one day I discovered roasted cauliflower and my entire world view of cauliflower completely changed. Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. I often have cauliflower in my grocery cart during the winter months especially when the availability of fresh locally-grown produce is sparse.
Have you tried roasting cauliflower? I want to urge you to give it go if you’ve only had it steamed and didn’t care for it. You might find that roasting cauliflower changes your mind. I love cauliflower roasted simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper. But, sometimes you want a dish that has a little more pizzazz.
I think this roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce and pomegranate seeds could be a star of your holiday table. Or, it would brighten up a dreary winter meal. The pomegranate seeds make the dish sparkle!
The cauliflower is seasoned with an array of warming spices including sumac. Sumac is commonly used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. If you aren’t familiar with sumac, it is well worth adding this lemony-flavored spice to your pantry. Sumac can be found as Middle Eastern markets or ordered online. Buying new spices is one of the reasons I love shopping at ethnic markets.
Tahini is crushed sesame seed paste and a crucial ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant dip), and halva (a sweet confection which was a childhood favorite of mine). Tahini is available in most supermarkets in the ethnic food aisle. You will want to give the paste a stir before using because much like natural peanut butter, tahini can separate when sitting on the shelf.
| Prep Time | 15 min |
| Cook Time | 20 min |
| Servings |
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- 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 in yellow onion cut in half and sliced into half-moons
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground Sumac
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Tahini Sauce recipe follows
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 garlic clove grated
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup water - or enough water until the tahini is smooth
Ingredients
Cauliflower
Tahini Sauce
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- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix cauliflower florets, onions, and garlic in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, sumac, cumin, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour over cauliflower mixture using tongs to stir. You want the olive oil mixture to coat all the vegetables.
- Place vegetable mixture onto a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Rotate baking sheet, stir vegetables, and roast for another 8-10 minutes until golden and tender.
- While cauliflower is roasting, make tahini dressing. In a small bowl or mason jar, combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and enough water to thin tahini mixture into a smooth sauce.
- Once cauliflower is roasted, place on a large platter or bowl. Drizzle tahini sauce over vegetables. Top with Italian parsley, pomegranate seeds.
- Optional: drizzle with pomegranate molasses.
Keith @ How's it Lookin?
Looks great. Can’t go wrong with tahini sauce, thanks for the idea
Diane Hartford
Keith, you are welcome. Tahini sauce on everything! Well, almost….
Petra
What a wonderful combination of ingredients, I am so making this! 🙂
Diane Hartford
Petra, I glad you like the sound of the salad. It was really quite delicious. I hope you enjoy it too.
Diane