Sunday, April 09, 2006

dip-a-liscious

In the past 6 months I have had a growing fascination with roasted cauliflower. I love the depth of flavour roasting brings out of it. I have used it as a base for fish, in gyoza and vegan ravioli previously, but there is always more that you can do with this gorgeous veggie.

The Moroccan Soup Bar, a Melbourne vegetarian haven, features a couple of dishes that taste suspiciously of roasted cauliflower and tahini. This is my version of one of their dips.

Roasting the Cauli

Clean a head of cauliflower (or what ever quantity you have handy) and break into smallish florettes. Mix in a bowl with a little olive oil (about a tablespoon or two). Spread in a roasting dish and bake.




I used a fan forced oven at 180c for about 25 minutes. In my old gas oven I would have set higher and cooked for longer.

Remove from oven when there is a fair splattering of golden brown.



Allow to cool.

Cauliflower and tahini dip

Take a little or a lot of your roasted cauliflower and place in a food processor.

Add some crushed garlic, lemon juice and tahini, then blend – use similar proportions as you would to make hommos (yes this is basically the same, substituting the cauli for chickpeas!). If unsure, start with 1 clove of garlic, the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of tahini. Keep tasting and adjust accordingly.

Season with sea salt.

Now add a little warm water and blend again. Keep adding water til you get a dip like consistency.

Goes well with crudités, pita chips or plain rice crackers.

Variation:
Toast and grind some cumin seeds.

Warning:
This dip is addictive!

Labels: , , , , ,

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i have been to the Moroccan Soup Kitchen a few times and love the Chic pea bake thing they make. Can't remember whats actually in it but its heaven.

8:27 pm  
Blogger Zoe said...

I like roasted cauli as a pasta sauce, with anchovies, breadcrumbs and lots of pepper, parsley and parmesan.

mmm

2:21 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

a friend gave me loads (4 heads) of fresh grown cauli... i roasted it with a package of that indian "curry for vegetables" spice mix and some olive oil - mixed it together and tossed the cauli in it. Then i did the basic tahini dip recipe with a touch of lemon juice... served with toasted pita at happy hour and all of it was gone in 2 hours.... super easy super fast and super good!

4:50 am  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Newer Posts Older Posts

Awarded by Kitchenetta

Powered by Blogger

Subscribe with Bloglines
Australian Food Bloggers Ring
list >> random >> join
Site Ring from Bravenet