Dukkah roasted cauliflower

This dukkah roasted cauliflower is an easy way to brighten up your veggies, especially served with a simple preserved lemon yogurt. Great as an appetizer or side. 

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When it comes to vegetables, in many cases I find a simple solution is if in doubt, roast it. True, this doesn't necessarily work for everything, but it certainly applies to quite a lot.

One of our favorite sides is roasted broccoli, simply tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with a little salt. Cauliflower in theory can be treated the same, but I find it doesn't have quite as much natural flavor.

Sometimes I mainly add flavor with a sauce after, as I did with my cauliflower steaks with salsa verde. But the way you cook and what with can also add flavor during cooking.

Roasting it with a little help from dukkah, as I have here, gives it that extra kick of flavor with minimal effort.

Dukkah is a nut and spice mix that's easy to make yourself at home, but that you can also buy ready-made. It's great for adding a burst of flavor to salads, on toast and for roasting veggies like this.

Tips for roasting cauliflower

• Cut the cauliflower into florets to speed up cooking (you could also roast it whole, it will just take longer)
• Split larger florets into smaller pieces by cutting through the middle - this also gives a flat side which will sit better for roasting and give a side that will brown a little more easily.
• Ideally, you want pieces to be even in size to cook equally.
• You can use a baking sheet (tray) or roasting dish, but I typically find a baking sheet leads to the pieces browning better on the bottom.
• Use enough oil to gently coat the cauliflower but don't drown them in oil - a little goes a relatively long way.

I'll be honest, the dukkah flavor is not overly dominant in this. In fact to a point, you might not completely pick out that it's there. However it definitely elevates the overall flavor of this roasted veg to be that bit more special.

Here I served the cauliflower with a simple preserved lemon yogurt. I realize not everyone has preserved lemons hanging around the house, but they add a lovely salty-tart flavor to lots of things. They are popular in Middle Eastern cooking but can be used much more widely. Ottolenghi is a big fan, as recipes like this dish with a preserved lemon mayo show.

Here, you simply chop or mince them and mix with yogurt. It acts as a dip which adds an extra burst of flavor and smooth coolness that pairs so well.

This dukkah roasted cauliflower is so easy to prepare and is a delicious way to make an otherwise plainer vegetable that much more interesting. The flavors are delicate, but truly delicious - it was a big win here and I hope you'll give it a try soon.

Try these other roast vegetable side dish ideas:

• Maple roasted parsnips with tahini dressing and hazelnuts
• Lentil salad with roasted Brussels sprouts and grapes
• Hasselback sweet potatoes
• Plus get more side dish recipes in the archives.

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