Midweek Meals: Five ways to give the humble cauliflower a main-course glow-up
Trim all the leaves from the cauliflower and cut away the bottom of the stalk to leave a flat base. Wash and dry the cauliflower and stand it on a microwave prove plate or dish. Mix together the cumin, coriander and sumac. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the cauliflower, using a pastry brush to work it in and cover as much of the surface as possible. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and scatter the mixed spices over the surface of the cauliflower, spreading them as evenly as possible.
Microwave on full power for twelve minutes. Check to see if the cauliflower is cooked through by sliding a skewer or small sharp knife into the centre. If the knife slides though easily, it is done. This will obviously depend upon the size of the head of cauliflower, so if it needs more time, pop it back in into the microwave for another three minutes and then check it again.
Once it is done in the microwave, drizzle over another tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle over some flaky sea salt. Transfer the cauliflower to an air fryer or preheated oven and roast it at 180 Celsius for twenty or until it is golden and toasted all over. This will take a little longer in an oven than in an air fryer; you will need to allow thirty minutes if using an oven.
While the cauliflower is roasting, make your sauces.
To make the tahini sauce, peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add that and the lemon juice to a blender and blitz for a minute. Next, add the tahini, cumin, coriander, and salt and blitz to combine everything well. At this stage you will likely find that the tahini seizes up and the mixture is very thick. Add an ice cube or two and blitz them in. If the sauce is still a little thick, you can add a few tablespoons of cold water and blitz that in until you have a very creamy, smooth sauce with a easy pouring consistency.
To make the zhuk, wash and remove the tops of the chillies. I like my chilli sauce to have some punch, so I leave the stalks and seeds in the chillies. Discard those if you want a milder sauce. Roughly chop the chillies and put them into a small food processor or blender, I use my Nutribullet for this which works perfectly for portions of this size. Peel and roughly chop the garlic, and add to the blender. Wash and add the herbs, along with the spices, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Blitz to a smooth sauce and set aside.
When the cauliflower is almost done, roast the cherry tomatoes in the air fryer or oven on a separate tray until they are soft and just about popping out of their skins. They will need about five minutes to roast perfectly.
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Irish Examiner
21-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Midweek Meals: Five ways to give the humble cauliflower a main-course glow-up
Method Trim all the leaves from the cauliflower and cut away the bottom of the stalk to leave a flat base. Wash and dry the cauliflower and stand it on a microwave prove plate or dish. Mix together the cumin, coriander and sumac. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the cauliflower, using a pastry brush to work it in and cover as much of the surface as possible. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and scatter the mixed spices over the surface of the cauliflower, spreading them as evenly as possible. Microwave on full power for twelve minutes. Check to see if the cauliflower is cooked through by sliding a skewer or small sharp knife into the centre. If the knife slides though easily, it is done. This will obviously depend upon the size of the head of cauliflower, so if it needs more time, pop it back in into the microwave for another three minutes and then check it again. Once it is done in the microwave, drizzle over another tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle over some flaky sea salt. Transfer the cauliflower to an air fryer or preheated oven and roast it at 180 Celsius for twenty or until it is golden and toasted all over. This will take a little longer in an oven than in an air fryer; you will need to allow thirty minutes if using an oven. While the cauliflower is roasting, make your sauces. To make the tahini sauce, peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add that and the lemon juice to a blender and blitz for a minute. Next, add the tahini, cumin, coriander, and salt and blitz to combine everything well. At this stage you will likely find that the tahini seizes up and the mixture is very thick. Add an ice cube or two and blitz them in. If the sauce is still a little thick, you can add a few tablespoons of cold water and blitz that in until you have a very creamy, smooth sauce with a easy pouring consistency. To make the zhuk, wash and remove the tops of the chillies. I like my chilli sauce to have some punch, so I leave the stalks and seeds in the chillies. Discard those if you want a milder sauce. Roughly chop the chillies and put them into a small food processor or blender, I use my Nutribullet for this which works perfectly for portions of this size. Peel and roughly chop the garlic, and add to the blender. Wash and add the herbs, along with the spices, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Blitz to a smooth sauce and set aside. When the cauliflower is almost done, roast the cherry tomatoes in the air fryer or oven on a separate tray until they are soft and just about popping out of their skins. They will need about five minutes to roast perfectly.
The Journal
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- The Journal
Over a million pilgrims begin the hajj in Saudi Arabia
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The Irish Sun
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- The Irish Sun
We completely transformed our fake-wood, dated kitchen for less than £150 – there was ZERO priming needed too
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