“If there were a single dish – the dish – that has come to symbolise Berber & Q, a ‘signature’ so to speak, it would be our cauliflower shawarma,” says chef and owner Josh Katz of the barbecue restaurant.
Here’s how to recreate it at home…
ADVERTISEMENT
Nutrition Facts
Cauliflower shawarma with pomegranate, pine nuts and rose
Amount Per Serving
Calories 86
Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 11mg4%
Sodium 43mg2%
Potassium 260mg7%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 125IU3%
Vitamin C 43mg52%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Cauliflower shawarma with pomegranate, pine nuts and rose
It’s not all about the meat at a barbecue
Servings: 8
Calories: 86kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Large saucepan
- Cooling rack
- Roasting tray
- Barbecue
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower whole
For the shawarma spiced butter
- 40 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1.5 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground sumac
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cardamom
- salt
- pepper
To serve
- 4 tbsp Tahina Sauce Pour 100g tahini paste into a bowl and add 1tbsp lemon juice and 1 minced garlic clove, gradually whisk in100ml iced water until the sauce is the consistency of honey – makes 220g)
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1.5 tbsp pine nuts toasted
- 1 small green chilli finely chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 tsp dried rose petals
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Method
- Make the butter. Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer and mix using the paddle attachment. In the absence of a mixer, whisk in a large bowl until thoroughly incorporated. The butter should be aerated, slightly stiff and one colour (as opposed to streaked). Set aside until needed. It can be kept in the fridge for several weeks, but must be brought to room temperature before being used.
- Trim some of the outer cauliflower leaves, but leave some stragglers left behind – they taste delicious and look great when burnt and crisped. Set a large saucepan of salted water on high heat and cover with a lid so as to bring the water up to the boil. Once the water is boiling, gently lower the cauliflower into the pan, being careful not to let it drop from a height and thereby avoiding the potential of burning yourself with the splash-back of boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium so the water has a gentle roll. The intention is to par-cook the cauliflower before finishing it in the oven or on the barbecue. It should be removed from the water when tender to a knife, yet retain some resistance – ‘al dente’, as they say. We’ve found it to take seven minutes from when the water comes back to the boil.
- Set the cauliflower on a cooling rack over a roasting tray and allow to drip-dry. Brush liberally all over with the spiced butter, and where possible, try and get beneath the floret canopy to reach the inner sections. Retain some of the butter for brushing at a later stage. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to its highest setting (240°C/220°C Fan/Gas mark 9) and blast the cauliflower for five to seven minutes, until blackened all over. (You want it to lightly char, not to form an acrid burnt crust.) Once sufficiently oven-roasted, transfer it to finish on the barbecue for a few minutes (if you have one going) for a final hit of smokiness, basting it periodically with any leftover butter.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Spoon over the tahina sauce and pomegranate molasses, and finish by sprinkling over the pine nuts, green chilli, pomegranate seeds, rose petals and parsley. A drizzle of olive oil adds a nice glossy finish. Serve immediately – the cauliflower tastes so much better when hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Berber & Q by Josh Katz, photography by James Murphy, is published by Ebury Press.
How to make Genevieve Taylor’s barbecued carrot, ricotta and toasted pecans
Wise Living Magazine may receive a small commission to help support the running of this site from purchases made from links on this page. Affiliate links do not influence our editorial or articles published by Wise Living.
ADVERTISEMENT
