November 26th, 2021Recipes with Jen Clarke

Cauliflower, chickpea and halloumi tray bake (Serves 4)

This is a delicious and easy vegetarian dish. You could add a bunch of asparagus spears (with woody stems snapped off) when you add the halloumi for a bit of spring flourish. Adapted from a recipe by Kate Gibbs.

1 small cauliflower or half a big one, cut into florets
¼ cup olive oil (plus 2 tblsp extra)
1/3 cup raisins (about 40g)
¼ cup verjuice or very hot water
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons sumac (or sweet paprika)
150g halloumi, cut into slices (about 5mm thick)
3 tblsp vino cotto or balsamic vinegar
Parsley leaves, to finish

Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the cauliflower on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with about ¼ cup olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper, toss and spread evenly on the tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the raisins and verjuice or water in a small bowl and allow to soften. Toss the chickpeas in a bowl with the sumac/paprika and season with salt and pepper. Take the cauliflower out of the oven, toss well then add the chickpeas and halloumi (and asparagus if using) and spread on the tray in a single layer. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes until the halloumi is nicely coloured.

For the dressing, mix the vino cotto/balsamic and remaining olive oil until well combined. Add the raisins and verjuice and season to taste.

To serve, place the cauliflower, chickpeas and halloumi on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. Scatter with chopped parsley and more sumac if desired.