Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut and Pomegranate Seed Salad

Jumping into the Jerusalem cookbook craze with both feet here.

I’ve read that there are over 3,000 cookbooks printed every year and that unless they are written by a celebrity, very few sell more than 30,000 copies. Jerusalem, which is one of three marvelous cookbooks by Yotam Ottolenghi, has well over 400,000 copies in print and threatens to become this generations’ version of The Silver Palate Cookbook.

I read about, then purchased, this cookbook back in July and have only now gotten around to making a recipe from it. A grievous error on my part, as this is a fantastic assembly of flavours and textures. Do not repeat my mistake… make this soon.

Here goes.

Get the cauliflower.

Cut it into florets, toss with oil, salt and pepper and roast for approximately 30 minutes.

Ready for roasting.

While the cauliflower is roasting, get the rest of the salad ready.

Open the pomegranate.

Pomegranate, halved.

Get all the seeds out. I submerge the pomegranate halves in a bowl of water and pull the seeds off. That way the splattering of pomegranate juice is contained and my work area does not look like a carnage has take place.

Pomegranate seeds.

Slice the celery.

Sliced celery.

Measure the hazelnuts.

Hazelnuts.

Roast, then chop the hazelnuts.

Roast, then chop the hazelnuts.

Get the parsley and chop it.

Parsley.

Make the dressing by mixing the cinnamon, allspice, sherry vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper together.

Toss the cauliflower, pomegranate seeds, chopped hazelnuts, celery, parsley and dressing together and serve.

Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut and Pomegranate Seed Salad.

The recipe is from the wonderful book Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.
And here too: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/thanksgiving-from-jerusalem/?_r=2 The recipe was published in an American newspaper last November, which accounts for the holiday reference.

Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut and Pomegranate Seed Salad
Yield: 2 to 4 servings

The roasted flavors of cauliflower and hazelnuts, combined with the fresh pop of pomegranate seeds, make this a particularly memorable salad for your holiday table. Cauliflower and pomegranate are popular foods in both Arab and Jewish communities, and the sweet and sour combinations in this dish capture the flavors of the region.

1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets (1 1/2 pounds total)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large celery stalk, cut on an angle into 1/4-inch slices (2/3 cup total)
5 tablespoons hazelnuts, with skins
1/3 cup small flat-leaf parsley leaves, picked
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (from about 1/2 medium pomegranate)
Generous 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Generous 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Spread out in a roasting pan and roast on the top oven rack for 25 to 35 minutes, until the cauliflower is crisp and parts of it have turned golden brown. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 17 minutes.

4. Allow the nuts to cool a little, then coarsely chop them and add to the cauliflower, along with the remaining oil and the rest of the ingredients. Stir, taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Serve at room temperature.