Roasted cauliflower with shallots and greens

Contributed by Preston Maring, MD


Roasted cauliflower with shallots and greens

While cruising through the vegetable bin in my refrigerator, I spotted a big golden cauliflower. Roasted veggies are an easy-to-prepare staple at our house, but I wanted to try something new.

A quick search lead me to this easy and tasty recipe featuring roasted cauliflower and shallots, but also something called dukka(h), an Egyptian nut and spice blend. The dukkah made the dish really good. Later we mixed the spice mixture with a little olive oil for dipping pita chips and bread.

We followed this recipe but used kale and chard from our garden and more of the greens than in the recipe. We also used some torpedo onions from the farmer's market in addition to shallots.

Servings: 8 to 10

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • One large cauliflower (2 3/4 pounds), cored and cut into florets about 1 1/2 inches wide
  • 3/4 pound whole shallots, peeled and cut in half if large
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • About 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 pound Swiss chard, stems and ribs sliced and leaves chopped separately
  • 1 can (15 ounces.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups walnuts (you can also use 1 cup hazelnuts and 1/2 cup pistachios)
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
  2. Roast nuts until golden brown. Then toast all the seeds in a skillet until fragrant. Crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or use a spice grinder if you have one until they are coarsely ground. 
  3. Add the seeds, nuts, chili flakes, and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times. 
  4. Leftover dukkah can be kept in the freezer and provide a nice touch of spice for many other dishes.
  5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
  6. In a roasting pan, toss cauliflower and shallots with 3 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. 
  7. Add chard stems and ribs, toss to coat, and roast until vegetables are very tender, 7 to 10 minutes more.
  8. Stir in chard leaves, chickpeas, dukkah, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Roast until chard is wilted and tender, about 8 minutes. 
  9. Stir and then season to taste with a pinch more salt and dukkah.

Nutrition information (per serving)

  • Calories: 320
  • Total fat: 23 g
  • Saturated fat: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Sodium: 360 mg
  • Total carbohydrate: 26 g
  • Dietary fiber: 7 g
  • Total sugars: 6 g
  • Protein: 10 g