Chef and food writer Nina Parker treats us to a delicious vegetarian bake
This really has that Middle Eastern, even Moroccan feel to it with the chickpeas, tahini, spices, lemon and sesame seeds. You can swap the vegetables around, depending on what you have. Aubergine would be great for the summer months and broccoli florets would also work well. If you had any toasted sesame oil to drizzle over at the end that is great, but not essential. The tahini dip at the end really cuts through the sweetness with citrus and bitterness. This is a great one for when hosting a dinner party too!
Serves 4. Vegetarian.
Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
1 whole cauliflower, divided into equal florets, leaves separated and sliced lengthways
280g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 3cm chunks
6 garlic cloves, skins left on
1 red onion, roughly sliced
200g chickpeas (1 tin)
Zest of 1 lemon and a small squeeze of juice
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
For the marinade:
500ml hot vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 level tsp ground cumin
2 level tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
For the tahini dip:
220g plain yoghurt
4 tbsp tahini
Small squeeze of lemon
Pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190C and gather two baking trays (one larger, roughly 30cm by 25cm, and one smaller, around 20cm by 25cm).
Divide the cauliflower, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic and onion between the two.
In a measuring jug, add all the ingredients for the marinade and stir together. Pour this over the two trays and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together so that the veg is coated. Drizzle over two spoons of olive oil.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and divide the chickpeas between the trays.
Remove the garlic cloves and squeeze out from the skins. Use a spoon to squish into the sauce. Drizzle over another 2 spoons of olive oil and roast for another 15 mins.
In a small bowl, add the ingredients for the tahini dip and mix together. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the veg. Serve with the tahini either on top of some of the vegetables or on the side.
Eat straight away, or keep for up to 3 days.
I made this tonight and loved it! It’s a fair amount of food for four people. And so tasty.