Spice Roasted Cauliflower Salad

When I was a child, my mother had a stock response that came out when I asked what was for dinner. "Something out of my head'', she would say mysteriously. From memory, this meant either "some sort of casserole" or "I haven't decided yet". Worryingly, the Small Girl has now started asking "what are we having tonight?" when she gets up in the morning. I have no idea what we're having tonight, but this is "something out of my head" from last week (and very good it was too).

Spice Roasted Cauliflower Salad
There have been beautiful cauliflowers for sale for practically nothing at the vege market, but I often buy one and then can't think what to do with it. After reading Molly Wizenberg's 'A Homemade Life' recently, in which she describes caramelised roast cauliflower (among other things), I started looking at the cauliflower in my fridge in a different light. I've used Molly's cauliflower cutting method below, but the rest is all my own work. If you don't have the spices below you could substitute a good curry powder.

Spice mix:
1tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
1tsp coriander seeds
a good pinch or two of cayenne pepper (less if you are frightened of hot stuff)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp garam masala
1/2tsp salt

1 cauliflower
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3-4Tbsp olive oil

3 handfuls of spinach, washed, dried and shredded

1/2 cup plain, natural yoghurt mixed with juice of a lemon, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of good extra virgin olive oil, plus salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220. Put all the spices in a small bowl and stir well.
Wash and dry the cauliflower, then sit it on a chopping board, stem end down. Cut into 1cm-ish slices - some will break into little bits, others will stay whole. This is ok. Cut out and discard any big bits of stem. Transfer the cauliflower into a large bowl, tip in the chickpeas (if using), the spices and the olive oil. Mix well, using your hands, until everything is well coated. Tip into a large roasting dish and put in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and crispy. Set it aside to cool slightly.
Put the prepared spinach in a serving bowl, tip the cauliflower and chickpeas on top, then drizzle the yoghurt dressing on top. Makes a good take-to-work lunch and is especially good alongside some simply cooked fish. Serves four generously.

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