FOR THE CAULIFLOWER
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1¼ teaspoons ground cumin
1¼ teaspoons sweet paprika (or regular paprika. Just don’t use smoked paprika.)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt (do not omit. It will not be too salty.)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
pinch of ground cayenne
1 large head cauliflower* (about 2½ pounds), trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
Pita bread or rice, for serving
chopped tomato and cucumber, for serving
FOR THE SPICY TAHINI SAUCE**
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup tahini
⅓ cup ice water, plus more as needed
Step 1
Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
Put the cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil overtop and stir well to mix.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper and cayenne.
Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cauliflower and stir until evenly coated. Spread them in a single layer on one or two baking sheets. (Lining the baking sheets with foil first will make clean up easier.)
Step 3
Roast the cauliflower until golden brown, slightly crisp and tender, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice. If the cauliflower looks dry as it roasts, drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Step 4
Prepare the tahini sauce: Whisk together lemon juice, 1 teaspoon hot sauce and garlic in a small bowl, and let sit for a minute or two to mellow the garlic. Whisk in tahini. Whisk in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. You may not need all of the water or you may need to add a little more: Tahini brands vary a lot. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more hot sauce, lemon juice and salt if you like. The sauce should taste zippy and creamy.
Step 5
Cook the rice and/or warm the pita bread. (You can place the pitas on the bottom oven rack during the last 5 minutes as the cauliflower roasts.)
Step 6
Serve with rice or pitas, tahini sauce, chopped tomato and cucumber. (The tahini sauce takes good on the chopped tomato and cucumber, too.)
Notes: *You can substitute 1.5 pounds of frozen cauliflower florets.
** This cauliflower is also good with the Tahini Butter from this Sweet Potato recipe.