Winter Salad with Golden Cauliflower, Pomegranate & Pistachio

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Jasmine

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Whilst I tend to gravitate towards cosy stews, soups and curries during the winter, I do still love a salad and this is a kind of warm salad that still incorporates seasonal veggies for this time of year along with some Middle Eastern flavours…

INGREDIENTS

Roasted vegetables:

Cauliflower

Turmeric

Chickpeas (canned or jarred)

Za’atar (if this isn’t accessible where you are substitute it for dried mint or oregano, sesame seeds and sumac, if you can get it)

Other salad filling:

Chard (or another leafy green will work – I recommend not using soft leaves like spinach unless you’re eating it all right away)

Pomegranate seeds

Medjool dates (I recommend checking they are sourced from ethical locations)

Giant couscous

Pistachio nuts

Fresh mint

Dressing:

Pomegranate molasses (optional – leave it out or replace it with another syrup if you can’t get hold of this)

Za’atar

Extra-virgin olive oil (use the good stuff, since we aren’t cooking this!)

Lemon juice

Serving suggestions:

I like to enjoy this salad over a bed of Hummus or Muhammara – there are recipes for both on this website if you want to make your own

TIPS & NOTES

There are a couple of small tips that will help get the best texture and flavour possible when it comes to this simple recipe. Firstly, once you’ve drained and rinsed your chickpeas, I recommend patting them dry before roasting them in the oven so they don’t split and become gummy. I also recommend rinsing the giant couscous after cooking and before adding to the salad; it’s not just to bring the temperature down, it’s also to reduce the amount of free starch so the couscous doesn’t clump together (this is great for a creamy cooked dish but not what we want in a salad!) Finally, it’s not the most important point, but if you have time: definitely toast the pistachios before adding them to the salad to release some of their natural oils and that sweet flavour.

Another little tip if you want to do this salad but you don’t have any chard or kale; you can actually use the cauliflower leaves (if they’re still fairly fresh). They can be a little tough, so I recommend cutting them into ribbons and steaming them to soften things up.

Winter Golden Cauliflower, Pomegranate & Pistachio Salad

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: DIFF
  • Print

A Middle Eastern-inspired winter salad bowl

No special equipment or advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 1 small head of cauliflower (cut into florets)
  • 150g of cooked chickpeas (drained, rinsed and patted dry)
  • 150g of giant couscous
  • 150g of Swiss or Rainbow Chard (cut off the ends, slice the rest of the stems into bite sized pieces and roughly chop the leaves)
  • 3 Medjool dates (remove the stone and cut into thin slices or roughly chop)
  • 30g of pistachio nuts
  • 80g of pomegranate seeds
  • A small handful (c. 2-3g) of mint (de-stemmed and sliced finely into ribbons)
  • 1 tsp of ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp of Za’atar spice blend
  • 1 tsp of pomegranate molasses
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil (+ extra for cooking)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C
  2. Combine the cauliflower florets with the turmeric, a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste (ensure they’re evenly coated)
  3. Combine the chickpeas with half of the Za’atar blend, a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste (again, toss or stir for an even coating)
  4. Add the chickpeas and cauliflower to a sheet pan or oven dish (spread as evenly as possible without piling up) and roast for around 25 minutes (check halfway through and rotate / stir as needed)
  5. Over a medium heat in a small lidded saucepan, toast the giant couscous in a drizzle of olive oil for a couple of minutes before adding 225ml of water (it can be boiling or cold) and season to taste – cover and cook for 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally) until all the water is absorbed
  6. Rinse the giant couscous in cold water to prevent sticking
  7. Over a low-medium heat, add the pistachio nuts to a small frying pan for 5 minutes and agitate regularly to release the oils, once they cool; chop roughly
  8. Once the cauliflower and chickpeas are cooked, set aside to cool slightly whilst you mix the salad dressing with the 1 tbsp of olive oil, remaining Za’atar, pomegranate molasses and lemon juice (whisk or shake together to properly combine)
  9. Assemble the salad with the dates, chard, pomegranate seeds (save some for topping), cauliflower, pistachio (save some for topping), giant couscous and mint (save some for topping) then pour over the dressing and toss everything together
  10. Serve over the optional bed of hummus and top with the extra mint, pomegranate and pistachio we set aside for garnishing

Let me know if you try this winter-themed salad!

See how I make it here:

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