Roasted Cauliflower with Harissa Date Gremolata

Last year I made it my mission to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my diet. Over an year later and I now crave vegetarian meals on a daily basis. People think vegetables are boring but when you add on the spices and sauces, they're anything but. Take, for example, this roasted cauliflower with harissa date gremolata. The cauliflower is roasted with turmeric and cumin, topped with braised cannellini beans, crispy kale, and the most delicious harissa date gremolata. I'm not joking around when I say this sauce is absolutely incredible. Makes you forget all about the meat!

Recipe

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Roasted Cauliflower with Harissa Date Gremolata

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Harissa date gremolata

• 6 dates pits removed and finely chopped
• ½ cup chopped walnuts toasted
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 garlic clove grated
• 2 tablespoon rose harissa
• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Roasted cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower cut into ½ inch thick steaks
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• salt and pepper

Braised beans

• 14 ounces cannellini beans rinsed and drained
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Sesame crispy kale

• 1 bunch kale stems removed and leaves torn
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make the gremolata. Combine the chopped dates with chopped walnuts, chopped cilantro, grated garlic, rose harissa, red wine vingar, and honey in a medium bowl. Slowly add the oil, stirring constantly. Season the gremolata with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Prepare the cauliflower. Combine 2 tablespoon olive oil with the tumeric and cumin. Gently toss the cauliflower steaks with the oil mixture and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the cauliflower in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender, flipping the cauliflower over halfway through.
• Meanwhile, combine the rinsed cannellini beans with vegetable stock, olive oil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
• When the cauliflower is done, remove from the oven and keep warm. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Massage the kale leaves with olive oil, making sure to coat every nook and cranny with oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss with the sesame seeds. Spread the kale in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy, tossing the kale halfway through.
• Arrange the roasted cauliflower on a platter and spread the gremolata on top. Spoon the braised beans on top with a slotted spoon followed by the kale. Top with more gremolata and serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

It's no question that roasted vegetables are delicious. However, they become infinitely tastier when you incorporate a couple of spices and one phenomenal sauce. This roasted cauliflower with date harissa gremolata is the perfect example.

There are several components to this meal but the real star is the gremolata. Chop some dates, toasted walnuts, and fresh cilantro and combine it with honey, rose harissa, garlic, and honey. Add the olive oil while constantly stirring, allowing all of the ingredients to mix together.

You can make the harissa several days in advance. In fact, similar to other sauces, this one tastes better after it sits for at least 30 minutes. If you're unfamiliar with rose harissa, it's harissa with rosewater and/or dried rose petals. Unfortunately, there is no other substitution but if you can't find the rose version, use harissa instead.

Finish preparing the remaining components including the roasted cauliflower, braised beans, and crispy kale. Toss the cauliflower steaks with olive oil, turmeric, and cumin, and roast until the thickest part of the cauliflower is fork-tender. Make sure to flip over the cauliflower halfway through to brown both sides.

Next, massage the kale with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Roast the kale in the oven, tossing the leaves about halfway through, until crispy.

Braise the beans in vegetable stock with olive oil, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes on low heat until they're incredibly soft. Since the beans are already cooked, they won't take long to reheat. You can also use dried beans but it will take much longer to cook.

Finally, assemble the dish by plating the cauliflower and piling on the gremolata, beans, and crispy kale.

I could not get enough of this roasted cauliflower with harissa date gremolata. I've made this dish 3 more times and I'm not tired of the sweet and savory sauce. It's just that good!

For more cauliflower inspiration check out this cauilflower and chickpea Vadouvan curry!