Winter
Main
Brown Butter Pasta
with crispy sage & toasted walnuts
25 min·Easy·Serves 2
4.8
Vegetarian
AutumnMainNew
Saffron Roasted Cauliflower
with whipped feta & pomegranate
Whole-roasted cauliflower is one of the great vegetarian showstoppers. A saffron butter baste gives it a golden, almost jewelled appearance, while the cool whipped feta beneath and the bright pop of pomegranate seeds on top create a dish that's as beautiful as it is satisfying.
20 minPrep Time
55 minCook Time
1h 15mTotal
4Serves
EasyDifficulty
October 2024Published
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 largecauliflower, leaves trimmed
½ tspsaffron threads
3 tbspwarm water
80gunsalted butter, melted
2 tspground cumin
1 tspsmoked paprika
200gfeta cheese
150gGreek yoghurt
2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
1lemon, zested and juiced
80gpomegranate seeds
handfulfresh mint leaves
2 tbsppistachios, roughly chopped
to tasteflaky sea salt & black pepper
VegetarianGluten-Free
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Steep the saffron in the warm water for 10 minutes until the liquid turns deep gold.
2
Whisk the saffron water into the melted butter along with the cumin, paprika, 1 tsp salt, and a generous grind of black pepper.
3
Place the cauliflower in a snug roasting dish. Pour the saffron butter all over, using a pastry brush to coat every crevice. Roast for 50–60 minutes, basting every 20 minutes, until deeply golden and a skewer slides through the centre with no resistance.
4
While it roasts, make the whipped feta. Blitz the feta, yoghurt, olive oil, lemon zest and half the lemon juice in a food processor until very smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
5
To serve, spread the whipped feta generously across a large platter. Set the roasted cauliflower on top. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and pistachios. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil.
💡 Cook's Notes
- —Soaking saffron in warm (not boiling) water extracts more colour and flavour than using it dry.
- —The whipped feta can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated — the flavour deepens overnight.
- —To check doneness without cutting in, press the base of the cauliflower; it should yield easily.
Recipe by Marta Henriksen · Published October 2024
