CHARGRILLED CAULIFLOWER WITH TOMATO, DILL & CAPERS

I had a cauliflower in the fridge that really needed to be eaten, but didn't feel like making it in the traditional way. I did a bit of research through my cooking books, and I came up with this one. It is from Ottolenghi's first cookbook 'The cookbook'. Blanching the cauli first and let it dry for a few hours really works. It was crunchy and yummy! The traditional recipe uses dill, but because unfortunately we couldn't find any today,  I used coriander instead.  Even though it was delicious, I can see how using dill would really enhance its flavours. We have leftovers for tonight's dinner. Delicious!

Ingredients

2 tbsp capers, drained and roughly chopped
1 tbsp French wholegrain mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp cider vinegar
120ml olive oil
1 small cauliflower, divided into florets
5g dill, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
50g baby spinach, rocket or mixed leaves
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
flaky sea salt and black pepper

Method

First make the dressing, either by hand or in a food processor. Mix together the capers, mustard, garlic, vinegar and some salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously or run the machine while adding half the oil in a slow trickle. You should get a thick, creamy dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Add the cauliflower florets to a large pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 3 minutes only. Drain in a colander and immediately run under a cold tap to stop the cooking. Leave in the colander to dry well. 

Once dry, place in a mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil and some salt and pepper. Toss well.
Place a ridged griddle pan over the highest possible heat and leave it for 5 minutes or until very hot. Grill the cauliflower in a few batches – make sure the florets are not cramped. Turn them around as they grill, then once nicely charred, transfer to a bowl. 

While the cauliflower is still hot, add the dressing, dill, spinach and tomatoes. 

Stir together well, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve warm or at room temperature, adjusting the seasoning again at the last minute.

Serves 2-4

Tonight we ate it alongside some chicken miso, ginger and lime, another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple cookbook. To be honest, both recipes are so flavoursome, that they do not go that well together. I ended up eating the cauliflower first, and then the chicken. The reason for that was that I didn't want to eat rice (trying not to eat carbs in the middle of the week!), but the chicken would be fantastic served with rice, and the cauliflower would be also great next to some simple meat or fish. Still, nobody complained!