Spiced Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Sriracha Yoghurt Dip

I’m a cauliflower lover from way back. My husband, not so much. Now this could be due to the way it was prepared in his childhood or the simple fact that it doesn’t contain any meat – I’m not sure. But with its recent re-emergence onto the trendy list of vegetables, I insisted he give it another go. We’ve since tried cauliflower milkshakes, cauli popcorn and cauliflower steaks, but this roasted whole cauliflower has become a family favourite. It’s a wonderful share dish that is packed full of spices and is meaty enough to serve as a main.

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower

½ cup Greek yoghurt

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp salt flakes

Pepper to taste

1 lemon (zest for marinade, flesh cut into slices for flavour trivet)

4 cloves garlic (whole, skin on, stuffed underneath cauliflower florets)

Sliced almonds, toasted

Method:
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a tray with baking paper.
  2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem. Press the whole garlic cloves into the gaps between the florets on the underside of the cauliflower.
  3. In a bowl, combine the yoghurt, lemon zest, cumin seeds, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon over the marinade and use your hands to get it into all the crevices.
  5. Place the lemon slices on the baking tray to create a flavour trivet and top with the head of cauliflower. Roast until the surface is dry and golden brown, for approximately one hour. The marinade will make a lovely crust on the surface of the cauliflower.
  6. Let the cauliflower cool for a few minutes before cutting it into wedges, top with toasted almonds and serve with a crisp green salad and the Sriracha yoghurt dip.
  7. For the Sriracha dip, simply add as much Sriracha chilli sauce as you can handle to some plain Greek yoghurt and season well.

Recipe and Image by Jada Bennett-Cross