Roast baby cauliflowers with pickled shallots
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Roast baby cauliflowers with pickled shallots
Recipe by Ruth Hansom
These rich, buttery cauliflowers are guaranteed to become a regular part of your roast repertoire
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
275Kcal
Fat
22gr
Saturates
14gr
Carbs
11gr
Sugars
8gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
8gr
Salt
0.2gr
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ingredients
- 4 baby cauliflowers (or 1 whole large cauliflower)
- 125g unsalted butter
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg, or whole nutmeg and a fine grater
- 15g nutritional yeast flakes*
- 70g extra-mature cheddar, we used Welsh slate cavern aged cheddar
For the pickled shallots
- 100ml cider vinegar
- 100g caster sugar
- 4 cardamom pods, bashed
- 1 whole star anise
- 5-6 echalion shallots, thinly sliced
Step by step
Get ahead
The pickled shallots can be kept for up to 1 week in a sterilised jar in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Put the cauliflowers in a roasting dish; keep the leaves attached as they go golden and crispy and add texture to the finished dish. Melt the butter and pour half over the cauliflowers now, then season with salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg and roast for 20 minutes (30 minutes if you’re cooking a regular-size cauliflower).
- Pour over the remaining butter and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, basting halfway, or until a knife or skewer can be inserted easily. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast flakes over the cauliflowers and bake for a final 5 minutes; these act as an extra seasoning, bringing an umami flavour to the dish.
- To make the pickled shallots, put the cider vinegar, sugar, cardamom pods, star anise and 100ml water in a pan. Bring to the boil, then add the sliced shallots. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
-
To serve, spoon some of the drained pickled shallot over the cauliflower and grate over the cheddar with a fine grater.
*Check your nutritional yeast is gluten-free, if required.
