Name: Cauliflower skordalia with smoked almonds and pickled cauliflower
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 60 ml olive oil (¼ cup); 400 gm cauliflower (about ½ small cauliflower), thinly sliced; 1 golden shallot, thinly sliced; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 150 ml milk; 4 thyme sprigs; 1 fresh bay leaf; 40 gm smoked almonds; To serve: char-grilled pita bread; Pickled cauliflower; 50 ml white wine vinegar; 50 gm caster sugar; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 2 cloves; 1 star anise; 100 gm cauliflower, cut into small florets

Cauliflower skordalia with smoked almonds and pickled cauliflower

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for cauliflower skordalia with smoked almonds and pickled cauliflower.

Serves 4

Prep

30M

Cook

30M

Total

“This is my own twist on skordalia,” says Calombaris. “My family in Greece wouldn’t recognise this as skordalia without all the garlic, but almonds are traditional and I think the idea of cauliflower fits in with a southern Mediterranean tradition.”

Ingredients

60 ml olive oil (¼ cup)

400 gm cauliflower (about ½ small cauliflower), thinly sliced

1 golden shallot, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

150 ml milk

4 thyme sprigs

1 fresh bay leaf

40 gm smoked almonds

To serve: char-grilled pita bread

Pickled cauliflower

50 ml white wine vinegar

50 gm caster sugar

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 cloves

1 star anise

100 gm cauliflower, cut into small florets

Method

Main

1.For pickled cauliflower, stir all ingredients, except cauliflower, and 50ml water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat to dissolve sugar. Season to taste, add cauliflower, stir to combine and cool to room temperature (20-30 minutes).

2.Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add sliced cauliflower, shallot and garlic. Stir occasionally until tender (8-10 minutes) and season to taste. Add milk and herbs, cover, reduce heat to low and cook until cauliflower is very tender (15-20 minutes). Purée in a food processor until very smooth. Top with pickled cauliflower and smoked almonds and serve warm or at room temperature with char-grilled pita bread.