Whole Roasted Cauliflower with a Romesco Sauce (vg)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

for the cauliflower:

1 large cauliflower head

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ras el hanout / other spice mix

1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped / 2 tsp dried thyme

for the sauce:

70g almonds

1 large red pepper

150g cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

juice of half a lemon

25g flaked almonds, to garnish

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.

• Rinse and trim the cauliflower, and place in a small baking tray.

• In a small bowl, beat together the olive oil, thyme, garlic & spices and using a pastry brush generously baste on to the cauliflower. Season with salt & pepper and roast in oven for approx. 50 minutes until browned on top and tender throughout.

• Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Slice the pepper into flat slices and place under a medium heat grill (180°C) for approximately 10 minutes until the skins are charred. Remove from the grill and place in a plastic resealable bag to cool. Once cooled, remove the skins from the peppers; they should peel off easily.

• Rinse and roughly chop the tomatoes into halves/ quarters and transfer to a food processor. Add all the other remaining sauce ingredients, including the peppers and process for 30 seconds or so, until blended yet still textured.

• When the cauliflower is almost cooked, transfer sauce to a small saucepan and heat through on a medium heat. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, transfer to a serving plate and top with the heated sauce and ground almonds. Serve immediately - enjoy!