The first time I had a whole roasted cauliflower – actually it was just half, was at Palomar, a groovy restaurant in London’s Soho district that serves updated dishes from the Mediterranean. It came to the table straight out of the oven, glistening and golden brown and slathered with a preserved lemon sauce that had a hint of tahini – a perfect match for the cauliflower’s subtle, slightly sweet flavour. So much cauliflower on a plate makes a dramatic presentation and a change from the usual roasted florets. What seemed like a lot disappeared quite quickly. This is my take on their dish.
It turns out roasting a head of cauliflower is incredibly easy and my version of their tangy preserved lemon sauce, can be whizzed up in minutes. This recipe can serve as a side dish or accompanied by a green salad and some crusty bread, be a meal all on its own.
Preserved lemons, or citron confit, are a common ingredient found in basically all the countries along the mediterranean where lemons grow. Like other preserved fruit and vegetables, traditionally fresh lemons were pickled in salt and lemon juice as a way to keep the fruit on hand when out of season. The curing process mellows the acidic bite of fresh lemons and brings out an intense, pungent lemony flavour. Generally the pulp is scooped out and only the rind is used – as a condiment and also a flavour additive.
In Paris, citron confit are quite easy to find in stalls at the market featuring North African ingredients. Outside of France it might mean a trip to a store specialising in Middle Eastern ingredients. However, these days, your local, high end grocery store probably carries them in the olive bar section. In any case, its pretty easy to make preserved lemons at home, see the recipe here, but it needs about a month. Before you ask why in the world would you go to so much trouble for one recipe – taste one and you will see – it won’t stop here. Preserved lemons have a remarkable versatility and can be thrown into almost anything to add a blast of bright, salty, lemony flavour – chop them into stews, sprinkle over vegetables, rub into roasted chicken or mix into salsas and dips. Basically they are good in anything fresh lemons are good in – including cocktails!
Ingredients
Instructions
