Harissa-Roasted Cauliflower with White Bean Cream

Set the oven to 220°C / 425°F conventional, or 200°C fan, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Set out two large rimmed metal baking sheets, approximately 46 × 33 cm / 18 × 13 inches each. Let the oven preheat while you prepare the toppings and then the cauliflower in the following steps; this normally gives it about 20 minutes to heat. The one-minute cue is for setting up, not the oven's full preheating time.

Place the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 4–6 minutes, stirring or shaking often, until they smell nutty and show golden patches; check one cut almond if its skin makes the color difficult to judge. Transfer immediately to a board to cool while you mix the relish.

Stir together the chopped parsley, sliced scallions, finely grated garlic clove, remaining 30 ml lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon zest and remaining 30 ml / 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. This is a loose, chopped herb relish, not a blended sauce; stir it again before serving so the dressing and herbs are evenly distributed.

Once cool enough to handle, chop the toasted almonds coarsely into small irregular pieces. Keep them dry and separate from the relish until plating.

Remove the cauliflower leaves and tough base. Cut the florets into 3–4 cm pieces, giving larger florets a flat cut face. Peel any fibrous skin from the tender central stalks and slice them 1 cm thick. Weigh out approximately 1.1 kg of florets and tender stalks. Reserve usable leaves for another meal; the weight of the discarded or reserved trimmings is not part of this recipe.

In a large bowl, stir the 45 g harissa paste with 45 ml / 3 tablespoons olive oil, the cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Taste a little of the mixture before adding salt: some harissa pastes are already quite salty. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Choose mild or medium paste here; a very hot concentrate is not an equal-volume substitute.

Add the cauliflower and dry chickpeas to the bowl and toss until evenly coated, scraping all the seasoning mixture onto the vegetables. Divide between the two sheets in a single layer, with flat cauliflower faces against the metal where possible. Leave small gaps instead of piling pieces on top of one another. Check that the oven has reached its set temperature before moving on; allow extra preheating time if it has not.

Put both sheets into the fully heated oven and roast for about 18 minutes without disturbing the vegetables. Set a timer. Leave the bean cream covered off the heat and the prepared toppings aside; the next cooking action is to turn the vegetables when this interval finishes.

When the 18-minute interval finishes, take out both sheets. Turn the cauliflower pieces and stir the chickpeas with a thin spatula. Swap the sheets between the upper and lower rack positions and rotate each front to back as you return them to the oven. Allow about 2 minutes for this handling, then begin the second roasting interval.

Roast for another 12–20 minutes, checking near the start of that window. The cauliflower should have dark golden to brown edges and a center that yields to a knife; the chickpeas should look dry and lightly blistered. Remove individual pieces early if they brown before the rest. If any cauliflower is still firm at the end of the range, give it a few more minutes and check again.

Take out the sheets once the cauliflower is tender through and well browned, usually after 30–38 minutes of actual oven time. Taste a slightly cooled floret and chickpea; add salt only if needed. Leave the roast uncovered on the sheets while you rewarm the cream, so steam does not soften its browned surfaces.

Rewarm the covered bean cream over medium-low heat for about 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until hot throughout. Loosen with any remaining portion of the reserved stock, a small splash at a time, if it has become stiff. Do not add the full allowance automatically or let the cream catch on the bottom. Stir the relish once more, then allow another 4–6 minutes to assemble four portions using the plating steps.