We all know variety is the spice of life and that is so very true when it comes to feeding vegetables to your children.

Coming up with alternative ways of preparing and serving veggies that your kids have been rejecting or are unwilling to try, can sometimes help get them over the line. 

My boys are not all that excited about cauliflower, but when they walked in the door from school and this was just coming out of the oven, they asked what smelt so good. When I mentioned the word cauliflower, they looked a little stunned, but willing, to give it a go. 

Roasting a whole cauliflower is very similar to roasting a piece of meat. You massage it with olive oil, salt and pepper and flavour or spices of choice, and then bake for 1 1/2 hours in a moderate oven.

It can be eaten straight from the oven, or at room temperature. You can leave it as is, or dress it up with lemon zest, finely chopped fresh herbs and toasted almonds. You can squeeze lemon juice, olive oil or a dressing of choice over it before serving. 

I like to picture it in the middle of the table, with everyone carving their own pieces, as a side dish to some pan-fried meat or fish. I can also see it as a part of a tasting banquet, guests carving off warm florets and dipping them in hummus. 

If we have leftovers, I will thinly slice it and put it in the fridge in an airtight container to throw in salads or on top of a homemade pizza in the coming days.

The limit is your imagination friends. 

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

2016-09-21 00:42:35

Serves 6

A whole cauliflower, rubbed with olive oil and cumin, roasted in the oven.

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

1 hr 30 min

Total Time

1 hr 35 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

1 hr 30 min

Total Time

1 hr 35 min

Ingredients

1. 1 whole cauliflower, outer leaves removed
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 tablespoon dried cumin
4. salt
5. pepper
6. fresh herbs, lemon zest and toasted flaked almonds to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. After removing the outer leaves of the cauliflower, turn the cauliflower upside down and cut through the base, slightly hollowing out the stem, so the cauliflower sits flat on a dish. Score a cross pattern into the remaining stem.
3. Massage the oil, cumin, salt and pepper to taste, around the entire cauliflower.
4. Place in a lightly greased baking dish.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
6. Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes more.
7. Serve it straight from the oven just as it is, or garnish with fresh herbs, lemon zest and almonds.

Notes

1. It can also be enjoyed at room temperature.
2. If you are going to eat it at room temp, wait to put the garnish on right before you serve.

By Emma Crauford

cook fast eat slow https://www.cookfasteatslow.com/