Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Tahini

This vegan dish looks like a stunning centrepiece on your table. When we have guests over for dinner I always like to pull out all the stops. Rather than cooking a few courses I usually prefer to present a variety of small dishes offering something for everyone. This cauliflower dish works as a side dish or could be your main star of the meal! This dish doesn’t just look pretty, taste-wise it’s a crowd-pleaser as well. It has the earthiness of the roasted cauliflower with a spicy and crunchy twist from the chickpeas. Then there is the fresh parsley and the tangy pomegranate seeds, finished with the creaminess of the tahini. What’s not to like?

Tip: the crispy spiced chickpeas are also great as a little snack on their own.

Ingredients

This recipe serves 2-3 people.

For the cauliflower and chickpeas

• 1 can chickpeas in water

• 2 tsp curry powder

• 1 tsp hot paprika

• 1 cauliflower head

• 3 tsp ground cumin

• Olive oil

• Parsley

• Pomegranate seeds

• Pepper & salt

For the tahini dip

• 4 tbsp tahini paste

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt

• Water

Method

• Preheat your oven to 200º C.

• Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. Then spread them onto a kitchen towel and pat them dry. It is important to get them as dry as possible otherwise the chickpeas will not become very crunchy.

• Spread the chickpeas on an oven tray with parchment paper. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake them until you can see they’ve become darker and feel crispy to touch. This takes 20-30 minutes.

• Remove the tray from the oven and then sprinkle the smoked paprika and curry powder on top. Give the tray a little shake to spread the spices evenly. Leave the chickpeas aside on the tray to cool down.

• Mix the tahini paste, juice of half a lemon, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Then slowly add water one tablespoon at the time to get the consistency you like. I like it when the tahini easily drizzles from your spoon.

• Take your cauliflower head and cut vertically into 1.5cm thick slices. Place them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper and ground cumin. Then drizzle generously with tahini dip. Bake the cauliflower in the oven at 180º C for roughly 20 minutes.

• Plate your cauliflower on a big plate or dish and sprinkle the crunchy chickpeas on top. Drizzle with some extra tahini dip and garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds.

• Optional: serve with some flatbread and tahini dip on the side.

Enjoy!