Roasting cauliflower wedges for only a few minutes in a very hot oven ensures maximum golden crispy edges without a mushy middle. A welcome vegetarian or vegan option when you are serving this as part of a larger spread or just as a bright side dish, these wedges couldn’t be simpler and brought to life with this punchy accessory.
I make this chimichuri variation on repeat during wild garlic season. Please do not restrict its use to these cauliflower wedges – smother it on anything and everything for the few weeks a year that wild garlic leaves are at their best.
These wedges are a perfect base for almost any sauce so you can have fun with them all year around.
A note on wild garlic: Please make sure you wash and dry your leaves very very well in multiple changes of cold water – they are wild and foraged and tend to contain a fair few sneaky extra guests and the occasional unrecognisable leaf in the bunch. Any grit and extra protein will not be welcome flavours or textures here…..
For the Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a good pinch of salt
- a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper (optional, because always for me)
For the Wild Garlic & Mint Chimichuri
- 100g wild garlic leaves
- 80g mint leaves
- 1/2 red chili, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 15ml red wine vinegar
- 125ml olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 250C
Remove most of the tougher outer leaves of the caluliflower, leaving the inside ones in tact if you can (they crisp up beautifully and are so sweet)
Cut your cauliflower in to 8 wedges through the core (ie. in half, in quarters and then half each quarter again in to eights)
Place in your roasting tin cut side down and drizzle on both sides with the olive oil and season with the salt and Aleppo pepper.
Roast for 10 minutes until golden and turn over to crisp the other side for another 5-10 minutes depending on your oven and the thickness of your pieces.
While the cauliflower is roasting, make the chimichuri. If you do not have wild garlic, make this with a selection of soft herbs such as parsley, coriander, basil or a little tarragon alongside the mint.
Chop all the herbs and the red chili together finely either by hand or in a food processor. Add the vinegar and olive oil and stir together until its a good spooning consistency. Season with salt and lemon zest and allow to sit for a few minutes.
When the cauliflower is golden but still a little firm, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve either warm or at room temperature drizzled with the chimichuri.
Have you made this dish?
Let me know what you think, share your efforts and any tweaks you made to the recipe on Instagram, don’t forget to tag #BuildingFeasts or email me on info@buildingfeasts.com
