So it’s lunchtime. What to do what to do? I have a limited stock of stuff to cook and I’ve got to feed four of us. Like everybody else I don’t want to go out to the shops and buy stuff because I don’t want to get the Corona. So I have to make do with that I have in my kitchen already. While there are lots of negatives about lockdown one of the positives at least for me and my family is that we are eating much better. We are eating loads more veg and pulses and we are actually enjoying them.
I’ve rummaged through my fridge and found some cauliflower, feta and harissa. And that is enough for me and it makes a really satisfying meal. Now for my husband some cauliflower is not enough so I tend to add a tin of chickpeas. If you don’t have any chickpeas because of ahem all the panic buying, use any tin of pulses you have. if you don’t have any, don’t sweat it. It still tastes good without. If you don’t have feta or don’t like feta, just use some dollops of Greek yogurt or even mozzarella would be nice. I would recommend some form of dairy though as the harissa can be pretty punchy and the dairy helps to calm it down. Once I made this recipe with 2 tablespoons of super spicy harissa and I lived on my bathroom floor the next day. Sorry! TMI Anyway I digress. Don’t make the same mistake as me. Test your harissa and see how spicy it is but aside from that one harissa debacle, this recipe is super adaptable and I can barely even call it a recipe because I just use whatever I have in my kitchen and make it up as I go along.
Anyway since this is the first recipe I’m posting, please tell me – do you want pictures? Do you care ? For today I am not posting any pictures because I really can’t be bothered 🤷🏽♀️. I know when I’m hunting for recipes online I don’t care about the pictures. Tell me what you prefer and then I will try my best to make it happen.
So for this cauliflower harissa salad (for lack of a better title) you will need :
1. one head of cauliflower chopped into small florets. The smaller the better because you are going to roast this bad boy and you will get more colour and caramelisation if the pieces are small.
2. one red onion (that’s what I have, but use whatever you have) cut into thin ish half moons. If your knife skills are rubbish like mine, don’t worry ! My onions are chopped in all shapes and sizes and it honestly don’t matter.
3. one to two tablespoons of harissa. Be careful! some brands of harissa are super spicy so make sure you can handle the spice level before otherwise you will ahem suffer in a very visceral way and being under lockdown with your family will feel even more brutal.
4. salt and pepper obviously. Now I’m not going to specify how much salt to use. In my humble opinion, salt is a game changer in cooking. It is absolutely essential to make food taste like food. So over time I have learned through trial and error how much salt to use. This will depend on your palette so play around with the salt. But my advice to you is be generous with the salt. It will elevate your cooking and make the simplest food taste good.
4. garlic. I use garlic purée. I can’t remember the last time I used fresh garlic because who can be bothered with that ? I use one teaspoon but if you are using fresh garlic, then I would say 2 cloves. Again, this is based on your palette and what it can handle so adjust for your tastes.
5. any cooking oil you have on hand. It’s hard for me to give an exact amount because I just tend to eyeball it but for the purposes of this recipe let’s say 3 tablespoons.
6. One tin of whatever pulses you have. I am using chickpeas (and i don’t throw away the chickpea water. it can be used for baking. Weird right ? But useful if you can’t get eggs )
7. a quarter of a block of feta. If you don’t have feta use 3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt or some mozzarella.
8. fresh coriander. This is my star ingredient. I love it so much. if you don’t have, go and get some. Just kidding. You can use parsley or just omit.
Right steps to take- first preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
1. Put your chopped cauliflower into a roasting tin. by the way don’t throw the leaves out. Im going to make crisps out of them and will show you how in a different post.
2. Liberally season your cauliflower with salt and toss in one tablespoon of oil.
3. Roast the cauliflower until it is nice and golden brown. Depending on your oven this can take between 20-30 minutes but keep an eye to make sure it doesn’t burn.
4. Heat a frying pan with the remaining two tablespoons of oil on a medium high heat. Add the sliced onions. Liberally season with salt. Cover your frying pan and let the onions become really caramelised. You want to keep an eye on your onions and you definitely don’t want them to burn. But this could take up to 20 minutes. You need to stir them every now and then.
5. Once the cauliflower is nice and golden brown, add the chickpeas if you are using and roast for another 10 minutes.
6. Once the onions are caramelised, switch the heat off. Take them off the heat, add your harissa and garlic. Stir well and add about two tablespoons of tap water. This should make a nice sauce.
7. Take cauliflower and chickpeas out of the oven and put the harissa onion mix on to the cauliflower. Mix well.
8. Crumble your feta over the dish or add your greek yogurt in dollops.
9. Scatter the coriander on top. Eat. Headfirst.
Now this is enough for me but you may want to have it with some flatbread or rice or anything else you have to hand.
Marvel at the beauty of brassicas and feel smug that you are thriving under lockdown.
I can’t take credit for this recipe. It is a genius recipe and I love it but I found the original recipe online. I’ve adapted it to suit my own tastes and what I have lying about. But for the original recipe check out familystylefood.com
Oh and don’t forget to subscribe if you like what you see. That way you won’t miss a post and I don’t have to hound you. Remember I’m in lockdown. The choice is either hound you or clean my house. You guess which one I’ll do.
