When was the last time you made everyone in your family happy? Go on; I’ll wait. Yeah, I can’t remember either. If you cook for your family, and I don’t mean just that whole nuclear family thing, I mean the WHOLE family, it gets even harder to remember when you bring food into the picture. It becomes the ultimate challenge, the unicorn you’ve managed to cross-bread successfully with… well, anything. It’s mystical and rare and hopefully pulls its own weight by getting drunk uncle so-and-so to stop telling fart jokes at the dinner table.
I made this side for an almost complete family dinner for my mother’s birthday last week. My 94-year-old grandmother liked it. My siblings liked it. My mom even liked it and she hates cauliflower. I chalk this up to one of the biggest culinary wins I’ve ever had.
Jump to RecipeI feel that it’s worth mentioning that I made this side dish in Des Moines, Iowa, and not my native Los Angeles. I feel this is worth noting because back home in LA, I can get all of these ingredients in one location. If you’re in a city with less diversity in the local grocery stores, you might have to hunt around for things like miso paste; something we found at a local Asian market, where the lady behind the counter felt she had to remind me to keep it refrigerated, like she’s told so many adventurous White people before me.
It’s also worth noting that I originally got this recipe (or at least one similar to how I make it) from Anthony Bourdain’s last cook book Appitetes: A Cookbook, wherein he talks about how a grown adult can eat an entire head of this stuff solo and not feel bad about it. He wasn’t wrong and I’ve been guilty of that more than once.
Some tips:
- If you’re making more than one head of cauliflower, increase your cook time by about 10 minutes.
- You can use either red or white miso paste. White is usually more delicate in flavor and (I’ve found) to be more versatile in soups and salad dressings, but if you can tell the difference in this recipe, you have a more refined palate than I do.
- The photo for this recipe shows purple cauliflower, something I’ve been able to find at my local grocery store. It doesn’t taste any different, but looks really cool.
- Resist the temptation to salt your cauliflower before cooking it. Miso has enough umami and salt in it. You’ll be fine.
- Serve this immediately after cooking it. It can turn into mush way too quickly.
Tahini/MIso Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 Head Cauliflower
- 4 tbsp Oil
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 2 tbsp Miso paste
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Wash the cauliflower head and trim into manageable florets.
- Place the florets in a bowl and toss with the oil, pepper, and cumin, making sure to coat evenly.
- Spread the florets out on a baking sheet.
- Cook at 450° for 20 minutes, tossing or generally moving the florets around about half way through.
- While the florets cook, combine the tahini, miso, vinegar, and water in a small bowl. Whisk or stir with a fork to combine. Add more water if needed. You should have an easily pliable paste at this point.
- When fully cooked, put the florets back in the bowl and cover with the sauce. Stir to coat and serve immediately.