Cauliflower tabbouleh
I have seen this in a few restaurants recently: raw cauliflower grated into crumbs. The little white bits are crunchy and fresh and work well in all manner of raw salads or salsas. You can mix them with chopped raw carrots, beets and soft herbs, dress with vinaigrette and dot with goat's cheese – or, as I do here, use them as a substitute for bulgur or couscous for a gluten-free, cooking-free option. Toasted pistachios, roughly chopped, are a lovely garnish as an alternative to the pomegranate seeds below. Serves four.
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower (800g)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped (50g net)
- 40g parsley, roughly chopped
- 20g dill, roughly chopped
- 15g mint, roughly chopped
- ¾ tsp ground allspice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 80g pomegranate seeds (about half a small pomegranate)
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Hold the cauliflower by its base and roughly grate the florets on the largest holes of a cheese grater; you should end up with 550g of cauliflower resembling cooked bulgur wheat. The stalks can be discarded or used in crudités. Place the grated cauliflower in a large bowl, along with the lemon juice and one and three-quarter teaspoons of salt. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes before adding the onion, herbs, allspice, oil and a generous grind of black pepper. Gently mix to combine, transfer to a serving plate or bowl, sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and serve at once.
Yotam Ottolenghi https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/06/yotam-ottolenghi-cherry-beetroot-recipes