Roasted Saffron Cauliflower With Raisins, Red Onion And Green Olives

This dish epitomizes the magic that is Middle Eastern cuisine. Ubiquitous, distinctive saffron melded with sweet raisins, savory onions and briny, salty olives elevate a fairly dull vegetable into a memorable dish. Let this one be the star at your dinner table.  I served it with my go-to, on-the-fly roasted salmon recipe (*). An incredibly easy, healthy, flavorful meal.

Roasted Saffron Cauliflower With Raisins, Red Onion And Green Olives

1 t + 1/2 t saffron

1/3 c boiling water

1 medium cauliflower, divided into medium florets

1 large red onion, peeled and sliced

2/3 c golden raisins

1/2 c green olives, sliced

4 T olive oil

2 bay leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 T roughly chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Place saffron in a small bowl and pour boiling water over it.  Let sit for 1 minute and then pour saffron and water into a large bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients except parsley to the bowl and toss well.  Transfer mixture to an oven proof dish and cover with foil.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, until cauliflower is tender but firm.  Stir once at the 20 minute mark. 

Remove from oven, remove foil and let cool slightly. Stir in parsley, taste and adjust seasoning and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

(*) For the salmon, I brushed each fillet {2 in my case}with olive oil on both sides and gave it a light dusting of salt and pepper. Then I laid each fillet on a large, square piece of parchment paper. I topped each fillet with a few lemon slices, chopped scallions and a mixture of herbs.  Whatever you have is fine.  I used parsley, basil, dill and rosemary.  Then I wrapped each fillet tightly in the parchment paper to create airtight pouches. The pouches were placed on an oven proof pan.  I put the fish in the oven with the cauliflower 15 minutes before the cauliflower was done. Both dishes were completed at the same time.

Source:  Plenty, Yotam Ottolenghi