baked whole cauliflower

I have been very lucky with my latest cauliflower dishes recently. While my luck lasts, there is one other cauliflower dish that I would like to try and make. It is something I have been seeing done by very good restaurants around Sydney and many other places around the world. Baked Whole Cauliflower, that is. So I wanted to give it a try. Mind you, my version of this dish has more Turkish flavours than its Western counterparts.

Here’s how I worked it out: To keep the covering moist, I used plain yoghurt, and for browning purposes, I used egg yolk. I came very close to using dried spearmint, which goes nicely with cauliflower, by the way, but changed my mind at the last minute and used onion powder instead. It turned out to be a very good decision as onion powder added some savouriness to the dish. Well, I’m quite happy with the results. If you would like to try, here’s the recipe:

Baked Whole Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized cauliflower
1 large pinch salt
4 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1 egg yolk
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground sweet paprika
1 teaspoon (heaped) onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
• Preheat the oven to 200 °C, 180 °C (fan forced)/350 °F/Gas mark 4.
• Cut off the leaves from the cauliflower. Boil water in a large pot and add the cauliflower, stalk side up. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and place it in a baking dish. Set aside for at least 10 minutes before pouring the sauce on top.
• Whisk together the yoghurt, egg yolk, crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, ground sweet paprika, onion powder, ground black pepper, and salt until well combined and sauce-like.
• Pour the mixture over cooked cauliflower gradually with a spoon, making sure that the mixture is even.
• Bake the cauliflower in the oven for 20 minutes. Cut into 4 slices and serve immediately.