Make roasted cauliflower with dates and herby farro for a hearty salad — or an exquisite main

This dish blurs the line between a hearty salad and an exquisite main course. And while each layer is delicious on its own, together they’re simply perfection. The recipe is bursting with texture and flavour, from the sweet dates and crunchy walnuts to the herby farro and harissa-maple cauliflower. Plus, it comes together quickly with a bit of multi-tasking; just cook the farro while the cauliflower is roasting. 

Ingredients

Roasted cauliflower:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• ½ tsp ground Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

Farro:

• 1 cup farro, rinsed
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup chopped roasted walnuts
• 12 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Lemon-tahini yogurt:

• ¼ cup tahini
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 400 F. 

In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, maple syrup, harissa paste, Aleppo pepper, cumin, garlic, salt and black pepper. Add cauliflower florets and toss until well-coated.

Arrange cauliflower florets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast cauliflower until tender and caramelized, about 35 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

While the cauliflower is roasting, add farro to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until tender yet chewy, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.

In a bowl, mix together farro, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Let cool, then stir in walnuts, dates, mint and parsley.

In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and mint, and season with salt and black pepper.

To assemble, spread the lemon-tahini yogurt evenly across the bottom of a large serving plate.

Spoon the herby farro mixture over top, leaving some of the yogurt visible around the edges. 

Arrange the cauliflower florets on top of the farro, and garnish with a sprinkle of sumac and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.