Whole roasted harissa cauliflower with couscous
A whole cauliflower rubbed with smoky harissa and roasted until tender to the core, carved into wedges over lemony couscous with garlic yogurt.
- 90 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.37 a serving
- 380 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 head cauliflower, large
- 3 tbsp harissa, divided
- 1 cup couscous
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ¼ cup almonds, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1¼ cups water
Each serving has about 380 calories, 15 g protein, 54 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $2.37 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No raisins? Dried cranberries work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. Pull off the leaves and the stem so the cauliflower sits flat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Trim. Trimming means cutting off the parts you don’t eat, like stem ends, tough bits or thick fat. It keeps chewy or bitter bits out of the finished dish.
How you’ll know: What’s left is the good part, with no dry ends, woody stems or thick white fat.
Stir 2 tablespoons harissa with 2 tablespoons oil, the cumin and 1 teaspoon salt. Set the cauliflower in a baking dish and rub it all over, working the paste into the gaps.
Cover the dish with foil and 30 minutes. Uncover and roast until deeply and a knife slides into the core with no resistance, 30 to 40 minutes more.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 65 min
Dolly’s tip: The core is the last part to soften. Test it with a knife through the bottom before you pull it out.About 15 minutes before it’s done, bring the water, 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a . Stir in the couscous and raisins, cover, take off the heat and let it sit 5 minutes.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heatTimer: 5 min
Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the juice of half the lemon and most of the parsley.
Stir the yogurt with the garlic, the rest of the lemon juice and of salt.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Cut the cauliflower into wedges and serve over the couscous with the yogurt, a streak of the last tablespoon of harissa, the rest of the parsley and the almonds.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
