5 ingredients or less/ convection steam/ easy everyday/ my favorites/ Roast/ year round

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.

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

Thermoworks Specials

ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 Backlit

You Might Also Like

7 Comments

  • Reply
    Kim Tracy
    September 29, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    I am always impressed with a whole roasted cauliflower. It has a stunning presentation. I imagine it would be delicious with a variety of dipping sauces, but I’m definitely into the tahini.

  • Reply
    Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower | Veggies Forward - Ever Open Sauce
    January 2, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    […] to cook with because it can take on whatever flavor you prefer. Instead of boiling, I roast the whole cauliflower, my default method. There is a preset formula in my convection-steam oven on perpetual standby. […]

  • Reply
    Roasted Spring Vegetables with Tahini Sauce | Ottolenghi - Ever Open Sauce
    March 9, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    […] roasted spring vegetables is a version of Ottolenghi’s whole roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce inspired by the multi-color cauliflowers I’ve found lately in the market. I know — how can […]

  • Reply
    Lisa Maya Knauer
    April 9, 2020 at 10:52 am

    I have always roasted whole cauliflower without blanching it first, but I thought I’d try this method — I did not like the result. The inside was way too mushy and had a bland, boiled taste — exactly like the boiled cauliflower of my childhood. I didn’t roast it for anywhere near the time specified here — it was quite “done” after an hour. The sauce was fine, however. I might try again with a one minute blanch, not 6.

    • Reply
      Shirley@EverOpenSauce
      April 9, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      Thanks so much for your input. I’d change the instructions to 1-4 minutes, since blanching time depends on size of the cauliflower. I usually make a whole cauliflower in a convection-steam oven. It takes me several trials to get it right. Once I arrive at the right setting (350°F, 50% humidity for 1 1/2 hours), I’ve been sticking with that since.

  • Reply
    Laurie
    April 6, 2023 at 8:33 am

    The presentation is beautiful, but how it is portioned for people to take? Does everyone cut off a piece with a knife?

    • Reply
      Shirley @ EverOpenSauce
      April 6, 2023 at 6:39 pm

      Generally, I take a steak or chef knife and slice the cauliflower like a steak. But you can cut it anyway you want to; there is no rule.

    We're open to your comments and suggestions!

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.