My cauliflower is still tough in the middle - what can I do?

Pop it back in the oven, covering the top with aluminium foil to prevent it burning. Cauliflowers aren't uniform in size and the cooking time will depend on the size of your cauliflower - if your stem is very thick it will need more time to cook through.

I can't find gochujang, can I use something else?

You can use another hot sauce - sriracha is great.

How spicy is the cauliflower?

The marinade definitely has a kick thanks to the gochujang, but you can reduce the quantity if you're worried. Use 1 teaspoon, or you could leave it out. The rest of the dish is designed the work with the marinade to soften it - the tomato pesto is sweet and salty, and the tahini drizzle provides a lovely creaminess that cuts through the heat - so when it's paired together it's not as spicy as you might think.

Can I make this in advance?

You can microwave the cauliflower, then cover it in the marinade the day before you want to cook it. Or roast it earlier in the day you'd like to serve, then heat through in the oven at 180C/360F for 15 minutes, with aluminum foil covering the top. The pesto will keep really well for 1 week in the fridge, so you could make that ahead of time too.

Is this recipe vegan?

If you swap the honey in the marinade and pesto for maple syrup or agave syrup, you can easily make it vegan.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Miso and Tomato Pesto

Description

This whole roasted cauliflower makes a seriously spectacular vegetarian centrepiece. It’s loaded with a punchy Asian-style marinade and served on top of an addictive tomato pesto you’re going to love. The recipe uses clever time-saving hack for pre-cooking the cauliflower to give you the best result, every time.

Remember, if you’re looking for US measurements, use the ‘Units’ section below and click on ‘US’.

Ingredients

Scale

For the whole roasted cauliflower –

1 large cauliflower, tough outer leaves trimmed

3 tablespoons miso paste

1/2 tablespoon gochujang paste

2 tablespoons honey

3 garlic cloves, crushed

For the tomato pesto –

1 cup toasted flaked almonds (use 1 1/2 cups if you’re using whole almonds)

2 teaspoons ginger, grated or chopped (or use ginger paste)

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam (or use sweet chilli sauce)

4 tablespoons tomato paste

For the toppings –

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Handful coriander leaves, roughly torn

1 spring onion, sliced into long thin strips and popped into a glass of water, to curl up.

1/3 cup tahini (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

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Instructions

Microwave the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high for 12 minutes. In the meantime, heat the oven to 200C/390F fan.
Make the marinade. Get 3 tablespoons of miso paste, 1/2 tablespoon gochujang paste, 2 tablespoons of honey, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 finely sliced spring onions, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger into a small bowl and mix well to combine into a cohesive, thick sauce.
Coat and roast the cauliflower. Once the cauliflower has been microwaved, transfer it to a baking paper lined oven tray or dish. Spoon the marinade over it, rubbing it into all the cracks and crevices as much as possible. Pop into the oven for 30 minutes, until lovely, red and charred on the outside.
Make the pesto. Get the toasted almonds, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 4 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of miso paste and 1 tablespoon sweet chilli into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz into a chunky paste then set aside.
Garnish and serve. If you’re making the tahini sauce, mix the 1/3 cup tahini with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl with a fork until the smooth sauce, about the consistency of cream forms. Use a little more water if it’s a bit thick (it will thicken up as it sits too). Spread the pesto onto the base of a serving plate. Top with the charred cauliflower. Drizzle over the tahini sauce (if you’re using it), then scatter over the coriander leaves, spring onions, sesame seeds and reserved toasted almonds.

Notes

PREP AHEAD: The tomato pesto will keep well for 1 week in the fridge, stored in an airtight container. You can also microwave the cauliflower, then cover it in the marinade the day before you want to cook it. Or you could roast it earlier in the day you’d like to serve it, then heat through in the oven at 180C/360F for 15 minutes, with aluminum foil covering the top.

MAKE IT VEGAN: Swap the honey for maple syrup or agave syrup.

Serve the cauliflower hot from the oven, or at room temperature. It’s lovely either way.

The cook-time of the cauliflower will vary based on the size – I’m using a large cauliflower here – you want to be able to easily pierce the thick middle stalk with a knife when it’s done. If you feel a little resistance, pop it back in the oven for another 10 or so minutes, covering the top with aluminium foil to prevent it burning.

Gochujang is a Korean fermented chilli paste that you’ll find in the Asian food aisle in large supermarkets – you can also find it on Amazon. If you can’t find it, use another chilli sauce, like sriracha.

Prep Time: 12
Cook Time: 30
Category: vegetarian
Method: oven
Cuisine: mediterranean

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/6 cauliflower

Keywords: roasted cauliflower, whole roasted cauliflower, miso cauliflower,