Ingredients (2 servings) as a side dish:
- 1/2 head cauliflower with leaves, cut into bite-sized florets, cut leaves in half lengthwise
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 red chilies, cut in half lengthwise
- salt
for the chili oil:
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp red bell pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper, freshly ground
for garnish:
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges to serve
- Preheat oven to 200ºC top/bottom heat.
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Salt and blanch the cauliflower with leaves in it for 2 minutes. Hold cauliflower under water with a lid or plate.
- Place the cauliflower pieces in a colander and drain.
- Mix the ingredients for the chili oil in a small bowl.
- Mix cauliflower pieces with leaves, onion and chili peppers in a large bowl with half of the chili oil ( it’s best to put on rubber gloves for this). Put everything on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure that the cut surface of the cauliflower leaves are underneath.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes and brush again with the remaining chili oil. Reduce heat to 180ºC top/bottom and roast for another 30-40 minutes, until cauliflower is nicely browned and leaves are crispy.
- Arrange everything on a large platter. Add the chili oil from the tray and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
