Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas

Switched things up tonight with a different cookbook: Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon. This cauliflower dish was very good. We had to substitute the ras el hanout spice blend with red wine vinegar and lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower (about 2 lb/900 g), stem end trimmed
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons ras el hanout
• sea salt and black pepper
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• handful of parsley or dill, to serve
• ½ cup (130 g) tahini
• juice of 1 lemon (2–3 tablespoons)
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups (500 g) cooked chickpeas (about two 15 oz/425 g cans, drained)
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley or dill
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Place the cauliflower, stem-side down, on a cutting board and cut it into four equal-sized wedges. Arrange the cauliflower wedges on a sheet pan, drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil, add the ras el hanout and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Massage the oil and seasonings into the cauliflower so the wedges are well coated. Place in the oven and roast for 30–35 minutes, until golden and tender (test for doneness by inserting a skewer or small paring knife into the cauliflower).
3. Meanwhile, to make the mashed chickpeas, place the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin in a bowl and add ½ cup (120 ml) of water. Whisk until smooth. Mash half the chickpeas—I do this simply by squeezing the chickpeas with my hands, but you can also use a potato masher or fork—then add them to the tahini mixture. Stir to combine, then add the remaining whole chickpeas, along with about 1 teaspoon of sea salt, the parsley or dill and olive oil and season well with black pepper. Taste and adjust the lemon, salt and pepper as needed.
4. When the cauliflower is ready, remove the pan from the oven and drizzle with the red wine vinegar.
5. Serve the cauliflower alongside the mashed chickpeas, drizzle everything with a little olive oil and scatter with more parsley or dill.