Imagine little roasted florets sprinkled with red seeds against a backdrop of bright green tendrils. This Pomegranate Roasted Cauliflower Salad is a recipe bursting with contrasting flavours and textures.
Using a knife, make an X on the top of each chestnut to create a small opening. Place in the oven on a sheet pan and roast at 200°C or 400°F for 25 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the chestnuts cool down. Peel the chestnuts while they are still warm. Chop the chestnuts into small pieces.
De-seed the pomegranate and set aside.
Slice the onion. Add ½ tbsp of olive oil and caramelise on a fry pan.
Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the big stem. Using a smaller knife, cut the cauliflower at the smaller stems to get the florets. If the florets are too big, cut them further at the stem.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the florets with 3 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the cauliflower on a sheet pan lined with baking paper in the oven at 180°C or 350°F for 10 mins. Remove and turn the cauliflower to get an even distribution and bake for another 10 minutes.
Salad Dressing
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the cumin seeds and break it up as much as possible.
In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yoghurt, cumin seeds and honey. Mix well.
Assembly
Before assembling, allow the cauliflower, onions and chestnuts to cool down.
In a large mixing bowl, add the roasted cauliflower, pomegranates, caramelised onions, and chestnuts. Mix gently so the cauliflower doesn’t break into smaller pieces.
In your serving platter, place half the snow pea sprouts. Scoop half the cumin and honey dressing and place on top of the salad.
Add the rest of the snow pea sprouts on top of the salad. Put the remaining salad ingredients on top and pour the rest of the yoghurt dressing on top.
Alternatively, you leave the dressing aside for your guests to help themselves. If you wish to do this, make an additional half or full serve of dressing as guests tend to take more than they need.
Notes
You can substitute the snow pea sprouts with watercress if they are easier to find.
You can definitely use cumin powder for the dressing if it's easier for you or if you don’t have a mortar and pestle.