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Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnut Pesto


  • Author: Ciara Attwell
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Vegan
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Christmas
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Vegan Christmas dinner made easy with this delicious Whole Roasted Cauliflower stuffed with a Hazelnut Pesto.


Ingredients

  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 100g blanched hazelnuts
  • Large handful of parsley
  • 100ml light olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tbsp light olive oil

To garnish

  • 20g dried cranberries
  • small handful of parsley

Instructions

  1. Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower and cut into the stalk at the bottom just slightly. Don’t cut down too far or the cauliflower will fall apart.
  2. Add the cauliflower to a saucepan upside down and cover with boiling water. Cook on the hob on a high simmer for 7 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile make the hazelnut pesto. Blitz the hazelnuts and parsley in a food processor or mini chopper. Add the olive oil and lemon and blitz again.
  4. Drain the water out and run under cold water to cool down.
  5. Transfer the cauliflower to a snug oven dish upside down. At this point you can cut a little more into the stalk but again be careful not to cut so far that the florets fall apart.
  6. Spread half the pesto on the underside of the cauliflower, pushing it into all the nooks and crannies.
  7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  8. After 15 minutes remove the dish from the oven. Flip the cauliflower over so it is the right way round. Sprinkle on the paprika and garlic powder and drizzle on the olive oil. Use a pastry brush to spread the mixture all over the cauliflower so that it turns a lovely red colour.
  9. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
  10. When ready, remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Top with chopped dried cranberries and parsley.
  11. Serve with the leftover pesto.