Recipe: Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower, Pomegranate, and Pistachio Salad
This warm, herb-heavy salad treats you to cauliflower three different ways from the Ottolenghi SIMPLE cookbook.
Serves4
At first glance this recipe looks and feels so classic Ottolenghi — one you’d find in the pages of one of his first three tomes. It’s full of fresh ingredients and layers upon layers of flavors and textures, something I’ve come to expect from him. But what makes this warm, herb-heavy salad different is that it comes together in way less time and calls for just 10 ingredients. It’s the perfect example of the types of recipes in his new book Simple, which I’ve come use as a way to cook Ottolenghi-style on a weeknight.
Upgrade Your Salad with Cauliflower Two Ways
While preparing the cauliflower for this salad, I definitely had one of those “I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this” moments. The base of the salad is lightly charred and caramelized roasted florets tossed with crunchy grains of raw, riced cauliflower, giving you cauliflower two ways. And should you be lucky enough to get a head of cauliflower that’s swaddled in leaves, don’t throw them out — as Ottolenghi reminds us, not only are these edible, but they’re also absolutely delicious when roasted, and make a nice crispy topper for the salad.
Ottolenghi's Cauliflower, Pomegranate, and Pistachio Salad
This warm, herb-heavy salad treats you to cauliflower three different ways from the Ottolenghi SIMPLE cookbook.
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
extra-large cauliflower (about 1 3/4 pounds)
- 1
small onion, thinly sliced
- 5 tablespoons
olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 1 1/4 cups
fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup
fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup
fresh tarragon leaves, coarsely chopped
Seeds from 1/2 medium pomegranate (mounded 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup
shelled pistachios, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon
ground cumin
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Coarsely grate a third of the cauliflower florets into rice-size pieces and set aside in a bowl.
Break the remaining cauliflower into florets about 1 1/4 inches wide, and place in a large bowl. Add the onion and any cauliflower leaves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and toss to combine. Transfer to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
Roast until cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Add the reserved grated cauliflower, parsley, mint, tarragon, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, lemon juice, cumin, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss gently just to combine. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipes and photographs reprinted from Ottolenghi Simple. Copyright © 2018 by Yotam Ottolenghi. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Jonathan Lovekin. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.