Recipe: Cauliflower couscous

This nutritious and moreish dish can be made in minutes, says Ollie Dabbous. Feel free to add different dried fruits, spices, herbs or nuts: figs, basil, apricots or coriander would all be welcome. It’s particularly good with barbecued meat and fish dishes, especially if they have Middle Eastern flavourings.

Ingredients:

• 1 jasmine teabag
• 30g sultanas
• 250g cauliflower, chopped
• 5 tbsp mixed nuts and seeds (pine nuts, pistachios or poppy seeds)
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 1 tbsp chopped lovage or parsley leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 30g olive oil
• finely grated zest and juice of ½ a lemon
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 40g red grapes, halved
• ½ a garlic clove, minced
• fine sea salt

to assemble:

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• labne
• dukkah

Method:

• Make a cup of tea with the jasmine teabag and add the sultanas. Leave to soak for a couple of hours ideally, though at least while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Blend the cauliflower in a processor until it resembles couscous. Transfer to a mixing bowl and season lightly with salt.
• Toast the nuts and seeds in a hot dry pan – or in an oven preheated to 180°C – until golden, season lightly with salt, then add to the cauliflower along with the herbs, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate, grapes, garlic and drained sultanas.
• Keep at room temperature until serving. Serve in a bowl with labne on the side, and a generous scattering of dukkah.

Taken from Essential by Ollie Dabbous, published by Bloomsbury Publishing at £30. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £23.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.