Dry Spiced Cauliflower and Garlic Beans

The dull weather continues though it is less cold - some days even 20C! Fast coming to the conclusion that there will be no summer. Because it is a little warmer but not cheerier I wanted to make something spicy but not particularly heavy for supper Monday night. The jasmine rice I bought in Chinatown is quite delicate and I needed something that would match that. A dry spiced dish seemed best and I had a fresh cauliflower so that was an obvious combination. I had made a slightly bastardised version of an abel & cole recipe recently that was very good so went with it again and it was just what I was looking for.

Roasting the cauliflower with the spice mix crisps the outside of the florets and seals the moisture into the middle when the edges are golden. Tossing hot peas and lots of fresh coriander through at the end gives it colour and contrasting flavours that worked really well mixed into the rice. It is a very easy dish to make, five minutes to chop and mix then roasting time and cook the peas at the end. Very good for a Monday and very good cold for Tuesday lunch.

DRY SPICED CAULIFLOWER

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 fist sized onion, chopped roughly

1 tablespoon olive

2 tspn chat masala - or 1 tspn each of cumin and coriander

2 tspn garam masala

2 tspn fennel seeds
2 tspns salt

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbspn grated fresh ginger

1/2 tbspn zested lemon peel

1 tspn ground black pepper

2 handfuls frozen peas, cooked till just tender

1 handful chopped fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6. Place the cauliflower, onions, oil, chat masala, garam masala, fennel seeds, salt, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, and pepper in a large bowl and toss the ingredients together until each piece of cauliflower is coated.

Spread the mixture in a large baking pan, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, turning every 10 minutes. Mix in the peas and coriander and serve over hot jasmine or basmati or even plain rice.

I also had some green beans left over from the previous week that needed using up. Topped and tailed and tossed in a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil and wilted before adding a few cloves of crushed garlic and a pinch of paprika for a sort of szechwan beans, they were the perfect thing to top the lot. Also good cold, but they didn't last till Tuesday.

All in all a really tasty supper with almost no effort at all.