Zahra Mekhla - Roasted Cauliflower

Zahra means white flower.

4 large or 6 small servings, depending on amount of cauliflower...

1 large cauliflower, cut into florets of approximately equal size
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt

Preheat oven to 450°F
Steam cauliflower until tender
Toss cauliflower in large bowl with 1 Tbsp olive oil
Spread cauliflower in jelly roll pan
Sprinkle lightly with salt
Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until browned and fork tender

Sauce (Enough for a medium head of cauliflower)

1 garlic clove, crushed or minced (or none)
1/4 cup tahini
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


Put roasted cauliflower in the large bowl, add sauce, toss, and serve


==========================================================================
With Lamb

1.5 kg cauliflower head
6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
250 gram lamb, minced (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
12 cloves garlic, largely chopped
2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon cumin, divided
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Cut the core and leaves off of the cauliflower head, then cut it into bite-size
florets. In a large skillet, bring 5 tablespoons of oil to heat, add
the cauliflower florets and cover the pan. Leave the florets to cook over low
heat for about 15 minutes or until they become golden. Turn them to cook on the
other side for another 15 minutes or until florets are cooked and golden from
both sides. Add another teaspoon of cumin and some salt to the cooked florets.
(Cooking over low temperature, covering the pan gives results similar to deep
frying but with much less oil.)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, add minced lamb and simmer over medium
heat for 3 minutes, or until semi-cooked. Add chopped onions, garlic, 1 teaspoon
of salt, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of cumin. Stir into the mix, and then
simmer for another 3 minutes on a reduced heat until onions are tender and lamb
is cooked.

In a blender, add tahini paste, lemon juice, yogurt, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3
cups of water and blend together at a medium speed until it’s well blended and
smooth.

In a medium size ovenproof dish, add cooked florets, lamb mixture, and tahini
sauce. Place in oven uncovered at 180C (350F) degrees for 60 minutes or until
sauce is mostly absorbed. Serve hot. Garnish with parsley.

NOTE: the original recipe called for 5 cups of water. I made it with 4 and it
was very soupy, so I cut it to 3. Not enough tahini, so I increased that from
3/8 to 1/2 cup. Also increased yogurt from 2 tablespoons to 4. Tasted great, but
it was hard to fry all of the cauliflower at once and it takes 30 minutes.