Cauliflower Couscous

*Click here for method for toasting almonds

I was really surprised when I first tasted James Martin’s cauliflower couscous recipe.  I hadn’t ever tasted raw cauliflower in a salad and fell in love with the combination of sweet/savoury and nutty.  The flavours are delicious and the salad is more than the sum of its parts.

The recipe below is an adaptation of his recipe – partly because I have used ingredients I more commonly have in my cupboard and partly because I think it tastes just as good, if not better.  Even people who aren’t particularly in love with cauliflower love this dish.  It can be made a day or two before it is needed and was a lifesaver recently when we had an impromptu vegan dinner guest!  The recipe yields a large amount and we usually have leftovers the next day.  You could halve it however if you wanted to just make a small amount.

1. To make the dressing, put the honey, vinegar and curry powder in a small saucepan and stir together over a low heat until combined.  Then set aside the dressing to cool.
   
2. Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower and separate the florets into the bowl of a food processor.  Discard the central stem left behind.
   
3. Blitz the cauliflower until it resembles a fine crumb (that looks a bit like couscous).
   
4. Tip the cauliflower into a mixing bowl and then blitz the pistachios until they are reasonably finely chopped.
   
5. Tip the pistachios into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients and blitz the dried cranberries.
   
6. Tip the cranberries into the mixing bowl and then add the toasted almonds and chopped herbs (holding back a couple of tablespoonsful if you want to decorate the top of the salad) and cooled dressing.  Give everything a good mix to combine thoroughly and then put the salad onto a platter or salad bowl to serve.  Decorate with more toasted almonds and chopped herbs.