Spiced roasted cauliflower with lentils and tahini yoghurt

Published

10 months ago

January 20, 2024

Nancy M

This spiced roasted cauliflower with a tahini, yoghurt dip makes a brilliant mezze dish that’s packed with plants.

Ingredients

1 whole cauliflower (about 750g/1lb 10oz), cut into medium-sized florets, stalks sliced and leaves retained
1 heaped tsp ras el hanout
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
400g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
1 small lemon, juice only, plus extra for squeezing
1 tbsp olive oil
50g/1¾oz fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
350g/12oz Greek-style yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
handful pomegranate seeds
salt, to taste
flatbreads or pitta breads, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Place the cauliflower florets and the stalks on a large baking tray.
Mix the ras-el-hanout, turmeric, red chilli flakes and olive oil together in a small bowl.
Pour this spiced oil all over the cauliflower and use clean hands to rub the spice mix well into all the crevices of the cauliflower. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower florets are charred on the edges. Add the leaves to the baking tray 5–10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, giving everything a stir to coat the leaves in the oil.
Place the rinsed lentils in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice, drizzle over the olive oil and scatter over the parsley. Mix well to combine. Season with salt to taste.
Dry fry the cumin seeds in a pan over a medium heat until fragrant.
Crush the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Combine the yoghurt with the tahini and the cumin. Spread this yoghurt over the base of a large flat platter.
Top the yoghurt with the cauliflower florets, then sprinkle over the lentils. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and squeeze over some lemon juice.
Serve alongside flatbreads or pitta breads, or as part of a mezze.

Spiced roasted cauliflower with lentils and tahini yoghurt