Note: During this time, I am trying to post more regularly in the hopes that in my small way, I can help people cope with a crisis. As I usually do – through food. I am trying to fulfill the requests for pantry-focused meals that are wholesome to the mind and the body. You can find all the recipes here. Wishing everyone all the very best from NYC!
Eating in quarantine is…interesting. Much has been made of and written about the vacillations between wanting comfort and joy from food, and pursuing (often in contrast) food’s health-giving promise. Yesterday, I ate two plain hotdogs and macaroni and cheese from a box for lunch. I blamed my toddler, and he did indeed find it thrilling. But, really, it was all me. I wanted it. I asked my husband to make it (back-to-back Zooms; thanks, Mr. English!). And I ate it.
So, dinner needed to be better.
I love vegetables. Simple sentence and simple truth. I kind of appreciate that you can’t just throw vegetables under the broiler, like a hot dog, and expect them to hide behind fat and salt and magically become something irresistible (to me or to toddlers). They need a bit of thought – but not too much effort – to reach their full potential.
Here, a whole head of cauliflower is simply roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper – left alone to become crisp on top, melting in the middle. To go with it, I whiz up a simple sauce in the blender of tahini, yogurt, lemon, and herbs. THAT IS IT. The result is a stunning centerpiece vegetable star afloat in a sea of creamy, dreamy tahini. I can see myself making versions of this weekly. If only I can find more tahini….
Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Creamy Green Tahini
serves 2 – 4
INGREDIENTS
1 “jumbo” cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup tahini
6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 cup of loosely packed fresh herbs (I use chives, flat-leaf parsley, and mint; cilantro would work well too)
1 small clove of garlic, grated (this is optional; I don’t love raw garlic, so I omit, but I can see the appeal)
Juice of 1 lemon
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the base off the cauliflower and place it on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning all over the exterior of the cauliflower. Place in the oven to roast for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until a knife can easily piece through to the core of the cauliflower and the crown is golden.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the tahini; yogurt; herbs; garlic, if using; lemon juice; and 4 tablespoons of water to a blender. Season with salt and pepper and whiz up. You may need an additional 2 tablespoons of water to get the creamy texture you want.
Pour the sauce onto the bottom of a plate and arrange the cauliflower on top. You can drizzle with olive oil and scatter on some fresh herbs if you feel fancy. Cut into quarters with a big knife and eat one or two (or two and a half, as I did last night).
