Roasted cauliflower with cumin and mint
Serves 2-3
Fear of frying but want more luscious fried Middle Eastern styled cauliflower in your life? A hybrid steaming-roasting technique in the oven help produce the succulent slices of cauliflower with delightfully browned edges that add a special touch to any Middle Eastern meal. Served this as an appetizer or paired with other veggies for a complete entree. Switch up the seasonings with a little curry powder or garam masala and this cauliflower is a great addition to any Indian masala spread.
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Few twists of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- lemon wedges
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Tear off two pieces of foil large enough to cover and crimp over the baking sheet. Remove the leaves and stem from the cauliflower and slice in half; cut out the thick stem out of the cauliflower but take care to keep the halves in one piece. Slice each half into wedges about ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and drizzle with half of oil and sprinkle with half of the salt and ground cumin. Rub the oil and seasonings into the cauliflower, then flip over each piece. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with remaining salt and cumin and rub into the cauliflower. Cover the entire pan tightly with foil and bake for 12 minutes.
2. Remove the sheet form the oven and remove the foil. Return to the oven and roast for 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges start to look browned, remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula or tongs to carefully flip over each wedge. Roast for another 6 to 8 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden and the edges are nicely browned. Remove from oven, sprinkle with pepper and transfer cauliflower to a serving dish. Sprinkle with mint and serve hot or at room temperature with wedges of lemon for squeezing over the cauliflower.
Variation, roasted Indian curried cauliflower
Replace ground cumin with 1 teaspoon of Madras-style curry powder or garam masala.
