Christmas Whole Roast Cauliflower

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

• whole large cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons sundried tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon harissa paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

For the tahini dressing

• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons (half a small bunch) fresh coriander
• 3 tablespoons (half a small bunch) fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt, to taste
• a little water to thin out the dressing

For the salsa verde

• 1 tablespoon (a few leaves) fresh mint
• 3 tablespoons (half a small bunch) fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt, to taste (careful, the capers can be quite salty)

To serve

• pomegranate seeds (optional)
• mint leaves (optional)

Method

To prepare the cauliflower

Clean the cauliflower and cut off the stalk so it sits flat. Put a small cross at the bottom to help it steam all the way through. Steam in a saucepan for 3 minutes, or until it is only just softened. Remove from the pan and use a clean tea towel to dry it completely.

Pre-heat your oven or air fryer to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F (325°F fan)/gas mark 4 (gas mark 3 fan).

Mix up the sundried tomato paste, harissa and olive oil in a little bowl. Brush or spread the harissa mixture all over the cauliflower, ensuring it is fully covered.

In a baking tin, roast the whole cauliflower for 15 minutes or air fry for 10 minutes (or until golden and slightly crispy).

To make the tahini dressing

Put the garlic, herbs, tahini and lemon juice into a blender and blend. Add a little water (1 teaspoon at a time) and blend again until green and creamy. Taste and add salt if needed.

To make the salsa verde

Finely chop the mint and parsley. Chop the capers. Mix the herbs and capers together with olive oil and lemon juice. Taste and add salt as necessary.

To serve

Smear a little of the creamy green tahini dressing on a plate. Put the hot roasted cauliflower whole on the plate and drizzle over more of the tahini dressing. Finally, top with salsa verde, plus pomegranate seeds and extra mint if desired