Difficulty: Easy
Serves 6
You wouldn’t think cauliflower could be a holiday showstopper but try your hand at this recipe and you’ll understand why 2016 seems to be the year of the cauliflower roast. Taste aside, the best thing about this dish is that it’s so easy to make, meaning you’ve got more time on your hands to unwrap gifts or hide from your family.
While the cauliflower itself is pretty good, it is still a cauliflower so I must insist that you make my cranberry stuffing and mushroom gravy to have with it, ok?
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- Whole head of cauliflower
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cranberry Stuffing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 slices wholemeal bread, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Mushroom Gravy
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 150g button mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
Method
- Kick things off with the cauliflower by preheating the oven to 180°C and finding a shallow baking dish that will fit the cauliflower.
- Peel the outer leaves off the cauliflower and place it in the baking dish.
- Stab a couple of holes in the top of the cauliflower before pouring the vegetable stock over the top so the remaining liquid sits in the bottom of the dish.
- Rub half of the olive oil over the outside of the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, mixed herbs, nutritional yeast and almond meal.
- Rub the mixture over the cauliflower, be sure to cover all of it!
- Stick some sprigs of rosemary in the holes you made earlier, cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour before removing the foil, pouring the remaining oil over the cauliflower and placing back in the oven for another hour.
- The cauliflower should still be firm but cooked through, stick a skewer in to make sure it’s ready and if not, pop it back in the oven.
- Make the stuffing by heating the olive oil in a large frypan.
- Add the onion and garlic before chucking in the bread.
- Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and mix well before adding the fresh herbs and cranberries.
- Once well combine and slightly softened, remove from the heat and store in the fridge – you can reheat when you’re ready to serve.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the olive oil for the gravy and add the garlic and mushrooms.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly before adding the vegetable stock and bringing to the boil.
- After 5 minutes, transfer the mixture to a blender, add the arrowroot and blend until smooth.
- Return the gravy to the saucepan and heat until thickened.
- Add the salt and pepper and you’re ready to serve.
- Slice the cauliflower into chunks, top with stuffing and serve with a generous amount of mushroom gravy.
