Jamie Oliver's Roasted Cauliflower With Cumin, Coriander and Almonds

When most people think of ways to cook cauliflower they will come up with either boiling or gratinating - I'm sure this is the same for you. It may seem strange, but cauliflower is absolutely fantastic when lightly roasted, especially with herbs, spices, cheeses or breadcrumbs. It develops a really incredible flavour that is impressive. Here's a recipe by Jamie Oliver that is Indian-ish in style.

It isn't authentic 'indian style' cauliflower but it was heading enough in the correct direction that we decided to give it a try when we were last making Indian food. It is easy to prepare, involving very little in the way of prep, and as Oliver states, the flavour is incredible.

Jamie Oliver's Roasted Cauliflower With Cumin, Coriander and Almonds

1 head of cauliflower, outer green leaves removed, broken into florets
sea salt
olive oil
a knob of butter (we interpret a 'knob' to be about a tablespoon)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1-2 dried red chillies
a handful of blanched almonds, smashed
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water for a couple of minutes then drain in a colander, allowing it to steam dry (you don't want any water left in your cauliflower or it won't roast properly).

Toss cauliflower in a good glug of olive oil and the butter.

In a pestle and mortar (we used a coffee grinder that I only use for spices) , bash your spices and chillies with a pinch of salt, then mix them with the almonds and put in a hot, dry oven-proof pan to slowly toast them.

After a couple of minutes, add the cauliflower.

When the cauliflower gets a nice bit of colour on it, add the lemon zest and juice and mix around well.

Fry for about a minute longer then pop the pan into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to crisp up.

Comments

[Kathy]

That looks great Jerry. I love cauliflower and look for new ways to prepare it. I love to add it to fajitas, cooking it quickly in a very hot, dry wok for a unique crunch.

[Jerry]

What a great idea Kathy - I will have to add some to my fajitas!