Romanesco Wedges with Olive & Tomato Sauce
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Prep:20 mins
Cook: 40 mins
You’ll roast cauliflower before dressing it up in a spring fresh tomato and olive sauce. With zesty rice this will give you a taste of sunny times to come.
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708 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 80g black olives
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 lemon
  • 200g brown basmati rice
  • 1 romanesco cauliflower
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • A handful of chives
  • 1 chilli
From your kitchen
  • 2 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 400 ml boiling water
You'll need
  • Pan with lid
  • Roasting dish
  • Frying pan
  • Baking tray
  • Stick blender or food processor (optional)
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Roughly chop the tomatoes and put in a roasting dish. Halve the chilli and flick out the seeds. Roughly chop it. Add to the dish. Drop in half the olives and the unpeeled garlic clove. Drizzle over ½ tbsp oil. Slide into the oven and roast for 40 mins till softened and slightly charred.

  • 2.

    Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Slice off the stalk so it sits upright on the board. Slice it into 4 wedges. Pop them on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Dust over 1 tsp ground cumin.

  • 3.

    Roast the cauliflower wedges in the oven on the shelf below the tomatoes for 30-40 mins till tender and charred.

  • 4.

    While the sauce and cauliflower wedges are roasting, cook the rice. Tip the rice into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Whisk for 1-2 mins till the water goes cloudy. Drain and rinse under cold water.

  • 5.

    Tip the rice into a small pan. Add 400 ml boiling water and a pinch of salt. Pare the zest from the lemon and add to the pan. Cover. Bring the pan to the boil. Turn the heat right down and gently simmer the rice for 25 mins till it’s tender and the water is absorbed. Take off the heat. Set aside, lid on, for 5 mins to finish cooking the rice.

  • 6.

    Take the tomatoes out of the oven. Squeeze the garlic flesh from its papery skin into the tomatoes. Blitz the tomatoes, olives, garlic and parsley stalks using a stick blender or food processor till smooth, or leave the sauce chunky. Slice the remaining olives.

  • 7.

    Squeeze a little lemon juice into the rice. Season and taste. Divide the rice between 2 plates. Top with 2 roasted cauliflower wedges. Spoon over the sauce. Finely chop the chives and scatter them over the dish along with the sliced olives. Serve with the remaining lemon cut into wedges to squeeze over.

  • 8.

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