

Ever since I came back from my Christmas break in New Zealand, I’ve been meaning to post about my take on Al Brown‘s roasted cauliflower salad. And I will. Promise.
It’s just that I got a little side tracked this week…
While I was at the farmers market on Saturday, I found the most perfectly formed little cauliflowers. I bought one, thinking I would make the salad. Only, when it came time, I couldn’t bring myself to chop it up. It was so pretty. TRULY! And, then I told myself that, “Really, it was too small to do justice to a salad”.
And, so this wee number for whole roasted cauliflower was born.

(Image by TSL)
I have a super-special mate (Australian vernacular: mate = friend!). Here at Casa TSL, she is affectionately known as Missy K. And, among other things, Missy K is known for giving awesome pressies. This Christmas just past, she made me a hanging herb garden. She’s the ultimate D.I.Y. lawyer!
I love my hanging herb patch.
The best thing about having herbs growing in your garden (or, in my case on my wall) is that you use them more often in your cooking. And, when I say more often, I really mean all the time.
Which can only be good for me.
Now that I have such a variety of gorgeous smelling greenery, I’m experimenting. I’m branching out from my usual – parsley, rosemary and thyme. In the past, I might have bought some coriander (cilantro) for a recipe. Now I have it all in my wee garden. At my fingertips.
So, for this recipe, I used oregano. And, the house may have smelled the littlest bit like a pizza parlour while the cauliflower was cooking…
In fact, LM walked in the door and wanted to know what smelled so good!
Whole roasted cauli’ is a great way to experiment with herbs and spices. I’ve kept this number AIP-friendly (the toasted hazelnuts are completely optional). If you prefer a different herb, then just switch it out. Thyme would work equally well.
And, if you’re fine with nightshades and seed spices, then have a play. The potential flavour combinations really are endless. Think about adding some of the following:
– Ground cumin
– Turmeric
– Fennel seeds
– Ground coriander
– Cinnamon
– Mustard seeds
– Paprika
Whole roasted cauliflower is an impressive way to serve your vegetables. This little number would be a great addition to a dinner party table. It looks fabulous.
[recipe title=”Herbed Whole Roasted Cauliflower” servings=”4″ time=”50 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]
1 x organic cauliflower
Salt (I use Himalayan sea salt)
2 x Tablespoons coconut oil or lard
Small handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped (can substitute 1 x teaspoon dried oregano)
2 x cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of half a lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), for drizzling
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Small handful hazelnuts (optional – omit for elimination phase of AIP)
Method:
1. Heat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Remove the outer leaves of your cauliflower and pop into a roasting dish.
2. In a frying small pan, dry fry your hazelnuts over a low-medium heat. Keep your eye on them – they will burn quickly. Once toasted, roughly chop and set aside.
3. In the same pan, gently melt one Tablespoon of fat. Pour the melted fat over your cauliflower. Season generously with salt. Pop into the oven and roast for 35 – 40 minutes until golden.
4. When your cauliflower is almost ready, melt the remaining fat. Stir in your oregano, minced garlic, and lemon zest.
5. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the temperature to 160°C / 320°F. Pour the herb-infused fat over the top of your cauliflower and pop back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
6. Serve the cauliflower with a drizzle of EVOO. Squeeze over the lemon juice and garnish with fresh parsley and optional toasted hazelnuts.
E N J O Y ! [/recipe]
This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable.
This is just the recipe I have been looking for as I have a huge cauliflower on my counter now. I am from Canada, so what the heck is EVOO?
Oh! So sorry I wasn’t clear – EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Heading to amend the recipe NOW!
Do let me know your thoughts – I so love hearing when people have tried my wee recipes 🙂
Thanks! I will try it this week.
So funny…I tried roasted cauliflower a couple of days ago….with a crust of almond flour on the top….your idea of spices…or mustard seed…I will try that next time…..though I would probably pre cook in a steamer for a few minutes….mine was a little bit too dry….probably not as soft and tiny as you little beauty cauliflower… 😉 thanks for your great ideas!
Your comments always make me smile, E. Thank you 🙂
This would be so pretty with the mini cauliflowers that show up at the farmers markets in the summer!
ooh yes! Imagine doing wee individual ones as a dinner party starter… Inspired!
This looks so delicious, and again – I just love your recipe titles! I have one correction (I know – crazy perfectionist) – paprika’s a nightshade, not a seed. I would hate for someone to reintroduce that one accidentally, not realizing it.
Eileen – you can be a crazy perfectionist any time you like. You are quite right. Amended! And, many thanks.
I have yet to try and reintroduce paprika (or tomatoes or chills or eggplant). Anecdotally they are a massive trigger for HS peeps. I miss tomatoes!
Alas, so do I. Making the Slow Roasted Tomatoes recipe for my reintroduction was torture. The house smelled heavenly! My husband was the taste tester. Thankfully, recipes like this one make it easier to focus on what I CAN eat. This looks delish!
this looks delicious! I may have to look for that perfect cauliflower myself this weekend. xx
Excellent! Let me know if you make it, K?
I just wanted to tell you about the cauliflower I made last week. Mine was rather large so I don’t think I used nearly enough of the herbs and oil. I also made it with cardamom, turmeric and curry powder as I didn’t have any fresh herbs. I liked the combination but it was just too mild. I will try it again another time.
Hmmm – I love the fact that you tried the cauli’! So – thanks for letting me know.
I’m sorry it wasn’t a MASSIVE success… Do you think it might have needed a little longer in the oven?
No, it was because I didn’t put enough flavour on it. I also didn’t use the coconut oil as my son is allergic to nuts. I make a different version that involves cooking the cauli in the microwave, then adding a paste of dijon mustard, mayo and parmesan cheese and then browning it in the oven. Really good but I can’t have those ingredients at this time. Try it if you can.