Roasted Whole Cauliflower | Green Tahini Sauce

I am a roasted-vegetables die-hard fan — for good reasons. Roasting a whole head of cauliflower takes time. Say about one to two hours in the oven, although very little direct involvement by the cook. What happens over the slow roasting process is that sugar begins to caramelize. The cauliflower turns sweet while the edges of the florets turn crispy and smoky and charred.

There is almost no cutting and slicing; prep work is minimal. As a result, I have served roasted whole cauliflower for dinner parties, repeatedly. It’s a no-brainer and produces great results relative to efforts. With that, you can turn your attention to other menu items.

There is a saved setting (350°F, 50% humidity for an upward of 1 1/2 hours) in my convection steam oven for roasted whole cauliflower. Press a few buttons, put the tray with the cauliflower in the oven. After that, you can nearly forget about it. One to two hours later, mission complete as the timer goes off. I’d stand by this process which has accumulated extensive mileage in my kitchen.

Alternatively, put the whole cauliflower in boiling water for 1-4 minutes. See the instructions below for details. Then drain the cauliflower and place it on a baking sheet. Baste the cauliflower with a butter and olive oil mixture. Season and place the sheet pan in the oven for the final roast. There’s not much else the dish needs.

The green tahini sauce is paired with the roasted whole cauliflower in Ottolenghi Simple. Similar in texture to the tahini sauce is a garlic aïoli. It’s another one of my favorite sauces, which gives the roasted vegetable a French twist.

In an interview with Christopher Kimball of Milk Street, Ottolenghi recommends serving the cauliflower with crème fraîche and a drizzle of lemon, or something along that line. My husband prefers his with roasted tomatoes with herbs. Why not, might as well take full use of the oven since it’s already on.

If you like the idea of roasting cauliflower whole, you might be interested in the version that includes multi-colored cauliflowers with other spring vegetables.

Print Recipe

Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower with its leaves intact (2 3/4 lb/1.3 kg)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Coarse sea salt
• GREEN TAHINI SAUCE:
• 1/4 cup/ 80g tahini
• 3/4 cup/ 15g parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup/ 80ml warm water
• sea salt

Instructions

1

Using a pair of scissors, lightly trim the leaves at the top of the cauliflower, so that about 2 inches/5cm of the actual cauliflower head is exposed.

2

Fill a pan (large enough to fit the whole cauliflower) three-quarters full of salty water. Bring to a boil and carefully lower in the cauliflower exposed head down: don’t worry if the base sticks out a little. Bring back to a boil, cook for 1-6 minutes, then transfer the cauliflower to a colander, exposed head down. Set aside for 10 minutes, to drain and cool.

3

Heat the oven to 375°F.

4

Mix the butter with the oil. Put the cauliflower stem side down in a medium baking tray and spread the butter mix all over the white flower. Sprinkle over a teaspoon and a quarter of salt, and roast for an hour and a half to two hours, basting the cauliflower with the buttery juices five or six times during cooking. The cauliflower is done when it’s super-tender and a dark golden-brown, and the leaves are crisp and charred. Remove from the oven. (Or serve with the lemony creme fraiche and a little extra salt for sprinkling on top.)

5

Make the Green Tahini Sauce:

6

To make by hand, thoroughly whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water and garlic in a bowl – you’re aiming for a creamy, smooth texture. If it’s too thick, add more water. Stir in the chopped parsley and taste; add salt if needed.

7

If using a food processor or a blender, put the tahini with the garlic and parsley and blitz for about a minute until the sauce is green. Pour in the water, lemon juice and sea salt and blitz until you have a smooth green sauce with the consistency of double cream – add a little more water if it is too thick. This will keep in the fridge for three days.

Notes

Adapted from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi