I love cauliflower and even in it’s raw state, the texture is perfect – not too tough.

However, there seem to be so few recipes for cauli out there, maybe because it lacks color and isn’t particularly eye catching on the plate, so I’m always on the lookout for something a bit different.

This certainly is – I found the recipe in one of my mother’s ancient vegetarian cookbooks ‘Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookery’ by David Scott, originating from the early 1980’s.

The recipe needed a bit of adjusting, which I did. I also finished it off with a drizzle of chili oil.

So here it is – an interesting way to serve cauliflower and I think it’s best served at room temperature.

Cauliflower with an Avocado Tahini Dressing

CAULIFLOWER with an AVOCADO & TAHINI DRESSING

(Serves 4-6 as a side dish)

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, broken into largish florets

The juice of a large lemon plus extra for the dressing

1 large ripe avocado (no brown bits)

8 fl oz (230ml) of Tahini (sesame seed butter)

Sea salt

2 tablespoons of lightly toasted sesame seeds

Lettuce leaves to serve

Chili oil (optional)

Action:

Put the cauliflower florets in a pan and just cover them with water. Add the lemon juice and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the cauliflower is just tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Preferably in a food processor, combine the avocado with the tahini paste and with the motor running, add extra lemon juice and/or water until you have a thick, smooth dressing. Season with sea salt to taste.

Arrange the cooled cauliflower on a bed of lettuce, top with the avocado tahini dressing, toasted sesame seeds and finish it off with a drizzle of chili oil.