Match our cauliflower salad with roast chicken or barbecued lamb.
My Nanna never served cauliflower that wasn’t boiled and drowned in a thick white sauce.
The result managed to be both watery and claggy at the same time and cauliflower was dead to me for years. Then I started roasting it and discovered the
joy of cauliflower! Roasting brings out the vegetable’s natural sweet nutty flavour, a flavour that can be worked into many different combinations.
This particular warm salad is especially good right now, when Australian-grown pomegranates are easy to find.
Way to go! Transforming a usually warm soggy vegetable and into a delicious cold crispy one. Photo - A_Lein/Shutterstock.com
What you need:
1 head cauliflower
Olive oil
1 stick of celery, thinly cut on the diagonal
1 handful mint leaves, washed
1 handful parsley leaves, washed
1 handful roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Arils from half a pomegranate*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chardonnay vinegar
1 teaspoon date syrup or brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
What to do:
Heat the oven to 180 C.
Cut the cauliflower into florets, toss in olive oil, season with a little salt and roast half an hour, tossing occasionally, until golden brown. Let cool
slightly.
Make the dressing by shaking olive oil, vinegar, syrup and spices in a small screw-top jar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the salad by tossing the fresh herbs with the warm cauliflower, pomegranate and nuts. Drizzle the dressing over the top.
Note: When pomegranates aren’t in season, put half a tablespoon of currants and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar in a glass and microwave for 20 seconds.
Let the currants soak in the warm vinegar for at least half and hour then drain and use in place of the pomegranate.
Text by Robin Powell