Saturday, April 27, 2013

Baked cauliflower and harissa salad

I haven't posted for quite awhile - we have had a hectic time lately, a lot of travel for work and our food has been old reliables or other people's recipes.
This week I had an urge to clean out the vegetable drawer and found that the two must use things were half a cauliflower and some pumpkin so I made soup and two salads to have for an alfresco dinner with steak.
It's easy to moroccan up the steak part of the meal - just mix a couple teaspoons of harissa paste (I make my own) with some sour cream and serve in a bowl.
Anyway I created a salad that was too good not to blog about. Start with:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon harissa paste
1/2 teaspoon salt

 Then cut up your cauliflower I only had 1/2 but this would work equally well with a whole cauliflower without doubling the quantities. Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil mixture
Spread the cauliflower on an oven tray lined with silicon. I just used my Chefs Toolbox silicon slice pan. Put the bowl aside - don't wash it up.
Bake at 175 fan forced for about 30 - 40 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and delicious.
While it is baking take:
1/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup cider vinegar
pinch salt
 Mix together in a small bowl. Then leave to quick pickle while the cooking continues

 Place 1/3 cup slivered almonds, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons honey (I used some gorgeous Tasmanian unheated honey I have in the pantry) in a small non stick frypan

Heat gently while stirring until the nuts just start to change colour.


 Remove from the pan immediately


 Squeeze the juice of a lemon into the bowl you had the olive oil in and chop 10 -12 mint leaves
I found the almonds turned to toffee as they cooled so I spent some time drinking wine and breaking them into teeny pieces again

Drain the sultanas. Add cauliflower, mint, nuts and sultanas to the lemon juice and toss through.


The finished product was absolutely delicious