Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Substantial Enough to Be the Main Dish

The Dish blend we recommend for this recipe. Dish Symphony No.2

A whole head of cauliflower, roasted. It is as satisfying as meat, and it brings the table to life.

The seasoning is very simple: butter, salt and Dish No.2.

The soft, floury texture and the delicate sweetness of the cauliflower meet the flavour of the spices and herbs, and it is genuinely delicious.

Natural flavour, left as it is. Good for the spirits and good for the body.

Set this down at a dinner with friends and the evening seems to start well on its own.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Dish Symphony No.2: 1 tsp
• Cauliflower: 1 whole head
• Garlic: about 3 cloves
• Butter: 30g (salted butter is recommended)
• Salt: as needed
• Water: 30cc (2 tbsp)
• Oil: 2 tbsp (olive oil or white sesame oil is our recommendation here)

Ideas for what to serve alongside When you steam-roast the cauliflower, tuck other ingredients such as sweet peppers or mushrooms into the gaps in the pot and cook them at the same time. If you enjoy making sauces, a homemade one alongside would be lovely. Simple sauces of mayonnaise with lemon juice, or mayonnaise with miso, should both work well (we have not tried them yet ourselves).

What you will need

• A heavy pot that holds pressure well and is roomy enough for the whole cauliflower (we often use a Vermicular, a Japanese enamelled cast-iron pot, for this recipe)
  
  

Preparation

• Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and trim away any remaining stalk with the tip of a knife.
• Peel the outer skin from the garlic.
• Measure 1 tsp of Dish Symphony No.2 into a small dish and set it aside.

Method

1. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat.
   
   
2. When the oil is properly hot, add the cauliflower to the pot, scatter the garlic around it, and cook until one side of the cauliflower is nicely browned.
   
   Sprinkle a pinch each of Dish 2 and salt over the upper side of the cauliflower, the side that is not being browned.
   
   

   As for whether to brown the top of the cauliflower or the stalk side underneath, either is fine. It simply looks more appetising if the browned side faces up when you plate it, so choose with that in mind.

   
   
   
3. Once it has browned, turn the cauliflower over, add 30g of butter and 30cc (2 tbsp) of water to the base of the pot, and melt the butter with a pair of cooking chopsticks or similar.
   
   Sprinkle a pinch each of Dish 2 and salt over the browned side.
   
   
4. Put the lid on the pot and steam-roast for 8 minutes over low heat.
   
   
5. Take the lid off and push in a bamboo skewer, or a small knife if you have no skewer. If it slides in easily, it is done. Turn off the heat, put the lid back on and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
   
   

   Taking it off the heat and letting it rest settles the flavour and makes it taste better.

   
   
   
6. Cut into 4 to 6 pieces, arrange on a plate, adjust the seasoning with salt, then scatter over the remaining Dish 2 for colour and serve.