Easy vegetarian recipe: Diana Chan's whole roasted cauliflower

This cauliflower recipe is easy to prepare and if you are a cauliflower fan like me, you will love this.

In my opinion, cauliflower is one of the most underrated vegetables. Super versatile, you can fry them, make a soup, puree or roast them – like I am here.

Roasted cauliflower is a great transition dish into spring as the weather gets warmer – still hearty with lots of warmth, but light at the same time.

I often go to Prahran Market on the weekends and head to my favourite fruit and veg shop, Pino’s Fine Produce. Every Sunday, you will see a queue snaking all the way around the corner where people grab fill their boxes with fresh fruit and veg for $15.

You will always find a head of cauliflower in mine.

Have this dish with a few lamb cutlets cooked on the barbie – it works an absolute treat. Don’t throw out the inner leaves of the cauliflower, they are super sweet and packed full of vitamins.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 small-to-medium head of cauliflower

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

For dressing:

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees.
• Lightly oil a baking tray or dish. Trim off the outer cauliflower leaves leaving the inner leaves intact. Cut away the base of the stalk so the cauliflower can sit flat, then cut a cross into its base.
• Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over the top of cauliflower and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake cauliflower until tender, about 50 minutes to an hour (depending on size). Check by piercing the cauliflower with a paring knife. It should go through easily.
• For the dressing, whisk together lemon juice, wholegrain mustard, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and salt in a small bowl, then whisk in the olive oil.
•  Drizzle the cauliflower with the dressing and present the cauliflower whole by cutting and serving it at the table.