Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Salad

I love eating this spiced cauliflower salad at the holidays. It's filled with juicy pomegranates, crunchy hazelnuts, fresh parsley, and crisp celery.

Roasted Cauliflower and Hazelnut Salad

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the US release of Ottolenghi’s newest book, Jerusalem… So I couldn’t have been more excited the day it showed up on my doorstep last week.

I don’t know how you like to approach a new cookbook, but I like to start with a fast flip… trying to devour as much as I can all at one time. Later on during my second pass, I’ll settle down and take in the stories, reading through the recipes much more carefully than I did the first time around…

Roasted Cauliflower Pomegranate Hazelnut Salad

This time I fast-flipped, intently looking to see if this recipe would be included. On our last afternoon in London, we went to Ottolenghi’s Islington restaurant just prior to racing off to the airport. The wait for a table was too long and it was a (lucky) gorgeous sunny day, so we got piles of takeaway food and had a picnic in a nearby park.

Which sounds picturesque… and really it was… only I wanted to try so many things, and we were incredibly short on time. In 20 minutes or less, we consumed pounds of food…  a tomato and burrata salad, roasted beets, green beans & peas, kohlrabi slaw, a couple of sweet pistachio & polenta cakes… and this roasted cauliflower salad, which was our favorite.

Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Pomegranate Salad

For a glimpse of the book, watch this trailer with Yotam and Sami, and start drooling.
Or take a look at this pdf preview of the book which includes a few recipes.

xoxo to Ten Speed Press for sending me an advance copy.

From Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The book comes out in the U.S. tomorrow, October 16th.

5.0 from 8 reviews

Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Salad

 
Author:
Serves: 2-4 as a side
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 5 tablespoons hazelnuts, with skins
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1½ teaspoon maple syrup
  • Generous ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Generous ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅓ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1 large celery stalk, cut on an angle into ¼-inch slices
  • ⅓ cup flat leaf parsley leaves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  2. Place the cauliflower on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with 1-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss with some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-35 minutes until parts of it are turning golden brown. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool down.
  3. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I used the same one as the cauliflower, just switched the paper) and roast for 17 minutes (although depending on your oven, I suggest watching these closely, mine were burnt at 17 minutes, and I took my second try out around 10 minutes).
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sherry vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside.
  5. Allow the nuts to cool a little, then coarsely chop them and add to the cauliflower, along with the pomegranate seeds, celery, parsley, and the dressing. Stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper accordingly.

 

31 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. It looks really healthy and tasty. I will try at home this weekend. Thanks for sharing with us.

    • You are absolutely right Sunita… I agree with you…
      Thank you

  2. Wow, it’s amazing recipe dear and inviting too.

  3. Bonnie
    10.24.2014

    Just tried it with purple cauliflower. Delicious and gorgeous! I now have three of his cookbooks and love them all.

  4. Patreek from creamco.net
    05.04.2013

    This salad is epic. But, I do have a update that made my Passover Seder a few weeks ago euphoric: substitute the celery with fennel, OMG. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, and to our culinary sherpa, Ottolenghi.

    • jeanine
      05.06.2013

      thanks, I’ll try fennel next time… what a great idea!

    • lani from elanacastle.com
      09.15.2014

      yip – this is going to make the rosh hashana menu. love the idea of fennel vs celery. LOVED this.

      • jeanine
        09.15.2014

        so glad! It’s one of my favorites…

  5. Liz
    04.08.2013

    This recipe is simply divine- it is a perfect storm of deliciousness. My friend made it for me a few weeks back- we ate the whole bowl. I’ve probably made it six or so times and taken it to a party (also a big hit). It easily will go down in my top ten recipes of 2013!

  6. Ula from greenteaandcookies.wordpress.com
    02.16.2013

    I was never much of a cauliflower enthusiast but after trying this recipe today things will definitely change. Thanks for posting!
    I have a new copy of Ottolenghi waiting for me on my coffee table so I think I will sit down to it right away.

    • jeanine
      02.19.2013

      I’m glad you liked it, this is one of our favorites!

  7. Y from blog.lemonpi.net
    01.20.2013

    Just wanted to say thanks for posting this recipe. We had it for dinner yesterday – absolutely delicious! x

  8. Gayle from Www.koshercamembert.com
    10.20.2012

    I just got the book this week and made another of the cauliflower dishes – the one with tehina and I’m eating the (very few) leftovers as I type this. I read new cookbooks just the was you described – I’ve flagged at least a dozen recipes and now the cookbook sits by my bed for nighttime reading, with a few visits to the kitchen.

    – Gayle

  9. Gorgeous photos! I love roasted cauliflower, and that salad with hazelnuts? Amazing. I’ve bookmarked this recipe to try. I don’t have a copy of Jerusalem yet, but if it’s even half as good as Plenty I know it’s going to be incredible. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    • jeanine
      10.18.2012

      the hazelnuts really add to the nutty flavor of the roasted cauliflower, this is one of our favorites, for sure…

  10. I love the addition of the pomegranate seeds with the cauliflower in this salad! The Ottolenghi cookbooks are amazing, I already have the others and can’t want to get Jerusalem.

  11. Jess from inquiringchef.com
    10.16.2012

    Oh no! Something about a rushed picnic seems out of place…glad you were able to make this yourself and enjoy it (hopefully) at a less rushed pace. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

  12. Laura from thespicedlife.com
    10.15.2012

    I just had a cauliflower salad and found it divine so I am totally excited to try this one too. And totally jealous you got the book early!

  13. Kasey from turntablekitchen.com
    10.15.2012

    I’m all about the fast flip, and feel like I’ve been doing it quite a bit the past few weeks (so many amazing cookbooks to dig into!). I’m already in love with Jerusalem, and excited to see your beautiful creation from it. I really want to make the kohlrabi salad from it…

  14. Kathryn from londonbakes.com
    10.15.2012

    Such lovely lovely flavours and textures in this salad.

  15. Eileen from hampiesandwiches.blogspot.com
    10.15.2012

    That salad looks so good! Cauliflower is so underrated, isn’t it? I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

  16. pve from pvedesign.com
    10.15.2012

    love cauliflower- this looks lovely.
    must try!
    pve

  17. This looks like a perfect seasonal transition dish filled with all sorts of sweet and savory flavors, textures, and temperatures!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.