Roasted-Cauliflower-And Sesame Spread from Chef Jerry Traunfeld

This was a completely new way of eating cauliflower I would not have come up with on my own, and it's very good! I will say I tried to make this in a blender, and I really wished I had a food processor because it was a much slower process. Chef Jerry Traunfeld from Seattle's Poppy says his way is to toast and grind whole coriander seeds before pureeing them with roasted cauliflower, tahini paste, lemon and cilantro. The easy way (as listed) is to use ground coriander from a bottle. I enjoyed some of this on top of cucumbers and some on top of pita chips. Jeff serves this with pita bread or chips. Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine February 2010.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2  lbs cauliflower, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup  vegetable oil
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground coriander
•  kosher salt
• 3  tablespoons  tahini paste (sesame)
• 3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3  tablespoons cilantro, chopped
•  sesame seeds
•  pita bread or  tortilla chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil, ginger, and coriander and season with salt.
3. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots. Let cool slightly.
4. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor.
5. Add the tahini and lemon juice and pulse to a chunky puree and season with salt.
6. Add the cilantro and pulse just until incorporated.
7. Transfer the spread to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8. Serve warm with pita breads or chips.
9. You can refrigerate this spread overnight to serve the next day.