Roasted cauliflower with harissa & chickpea sauce

Method

• step 1

  Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients with 1½ tsp sea salt in a mixing bowl and stirring until well combined. Remove any leaves from the cauliflower and slice them lengthways. Put the cauliflower leaf slices in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Set aside for later.

• step 2

  Cut the cauliflower into thick slices about 1½cm-2cm thick – don’t worry if some of the florets break off, it’s all being roasted. Oil a large roasting tray and tip in the cauliflower slices and florets. Pour over the marinade and stir to coat, then cover with foil and marinate for at least 2 hrs, but you could leave it in the fridge all day or overnight if you wanted.

• step 3

  Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roast the cauliflower covered with foil for 40-45 mins. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil with the cumin seeds in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry, stirring, for 8-10 mins until starting to caramelise. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and some seasoning. Turn the heat up slightly and cook, continuing to stir, for 6-8 mins until reduced, then add in the garlic, harissa and butter, and stir to combine. Blitz in a food processor until smooth, then pour back into the pan, add the chickpeas and cauliflower leaves, and warm through for a minute or two.

• step 4

  Remove the foil from the cauliflower and return the tray to the oven for 10 mins to caramelise. Stir the tahini and olive oil into the yogurt in a bowl and season. Once the cauliflower is ready, divide the warm sauce between plates, then top with the cauliflower slices and tahini yogurt. Scatter over the almonds. Serve with a well-dressed salad of crunchy leaves.