Ottolenghi’s cauliflower roasted in chilli butter
Cauliflower is a humble vegetable, but if you feed it with oil or butter and slow-cook it, it will develop an intense sweetness and depth
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
10
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
50
MINUTES
Ingredients
2 large whole cauliflowers, with leaves (1.9kg)
2 onions, peeled and cut into eighths
8 red chillies, whole with a vertical slit cut into them
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Salt
For the chilli butter:
120g unsalted butter, melted (or 120ml olive oil, if you want to keep it vegan)
110ml olive oil
1 ¼ tbsp red bell pepper flakes
2 ½ tsp tomato paste
1 ¼ Urfa chilli flakes
90g rose harissa (adjust according to the brand you are using)
¾ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or 1/3 tsp regular chilli flakes)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ tsp caster sugar
Method
Trim the leaves at the top of each cauliflower, so that about 5cm of the actual cauliflower is exposed. Cut both cauliflowers into quarters lengthways, making sure the leaves remain attached at the base.
Fill a very large pan (large enough to fit all the cauliflower quarters) with well-salted water and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, blanch the cauliflower quarters for 2 minutes, weighing them down with a lid a little smaller than the pan to ensure they stay submerged. Transfer to a colander to drain well. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix all the ingredients for the chilli butter together in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the cauliflower quarters, onions and chillies on a very large, parchment-lined baking tray and pour over the chilli butter. Carefully mix to make sure everything is very well coated (gloved hands are best for this). Arrange the cauliflower quarters so they are spaced apart as much as possible; one of the cut sides of each quarter should face down, so the leaves are exposed.
Roast for 30 minutes, baste well, then turn the heat down to 170°C and continue to roast for another 35-40 minutes, basting twice, until the cauliflower is very well browned and the leaves are crispy.
Transfer everything to a platter, spooning over the remaining chilli butter and browned aromatics from the baking tray. Serve at once, with the lemon wedges alongside.
From Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi
