Cauliflowers have been particularly successful this season; there has been a plentiful supply of lovely creamy heads. Although Cauliflower Cheese remains one of my all-time comfort foods, I love this combination of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, tempered with sweet potato and punctured by pomegranate seeds.

Incidentally, the botanical name for pomegranate is Punica granatum and the Spanish city of Granada (where it grows wild) takes its name from it. It was introduced here by the Moors who have also given us tahini paste, but if you do not have it, simply sprinkle the dish with lemon juice and serve with the yoghurt.

Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Chickpeas with Tahini & Yoghurt

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower about 700g

1 Sweet Potato about 350g

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

thumbnail size of fresh ginger

2 teaspoon cumin seed

½ teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

200g red onion

325g jar of Mon Jardin chickpeas, drained

To serve

100ml Greek yoghurt

2 Tablespoon tahini

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Seeds from ½ a pomegranate

½ mild green chilli

flat leaf parsley

Set the oven to 200°C.

Trim the thick stalks and outside leaves from the cauliflower and break into small florets, about 350g.

Peel the sweet potato and cut into chunks 1 – 2 cm.

Coarsely grind the cumin seeds in a pestle and mortar and add the salt.

Peel and finely dice the ginger and garlic and add to the pestle with the turmeric and smoked paprika. Pound to a paste and mix with 3 Tablespoons of the oil. Scrape into a large bowl and add the vegetables, mixing well until they are all coated. Tip into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for about 30 – 40 minutes, turning once or twice.

Chop the parsley and green chilli and set aside.

Roll the pomegranate on the work top, cut in half and knock out the seeds. Set aside.

Mix the yoghurt, tahini and the lemon juice together in a small bowl. It should be the consistency of double cream, if it is too thick add a tablespoon of water to thin it. Set aside.

Slice the red onion thinly into crescent shapes.

When the veggies are nearly ready, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they are sizzling, add the onions and stir and fry until they are soft and changing colour. Add the drained chickpeas and heat through.

Remove the veggies from the oven and combine with the contents of the frying pan. Taste for seasoning – a little more salt and a sprinkle of lemon juice may be required. Pile it all into a serving dish and garnish with the pomegranate, parsley and chilli.

Serve with the tahini cream on the side.