Cauliflower Couscous
The first time I came across Cauliflower Couscous was on www. drizzleanddip.com and it has been a staple ever since for “low carb” dinners.
I am sure the Banting Diet crowd will just love this and it is fantastic as a mock couscous or to replace any pasta. But even with no diet in mind this is a surprisingly tasty way of preparing cauliflower. Make it plain with just some seasoning as the “starch” for a bolognese sauce or meaty stew.
Also check out this fantastic Fried Cauliflower with Whipped Hummus Dip and very delicious Roasted Cauliflower Salad recipes of mine.
Ingredients
- 200g baby tomatoes
- olive oil for drizzling
- salt and black pepper
- 1 head of cauliflower – 500g
- 2 teaspoons baharat or mixed spice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 400g cooked smoked haddock, flaked. You can replace it with any other cooked and flaked fish (leftover meat or sliced grilled sausage will also work well)
- ½ cup cooked peas
- ½ cup finely chopped raw broccoli stems and florets
- 1 disk feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
- handful of chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
- Drizzle the tomatoes with some olive oil, season with salt and pepper (and a bit of chili – optional) and roast for 20 minutes until the skins are wrinkled and pierced.
- Break the cauliflower into florets and pulse to a "crumb" (must resemble fresh breadcrumbs) in a food processor.
- Do this in a few batches so that the “crumb” does not become too fine.
- Place the cauliflower in a casserole dish (non stick or cast iron and with a lid) add the water and oil and stir fry over a moderately high heat for about 4 minutes.
- Add the baharat and a pinch of salt and stir fry for another 4 minutes.
- Add the fish, peas, broccoli and tomatoes and gently mix through the cauliflower trying not to break the fish too much.
- Switch off the heat, place a lid on the pan and let it stand for about 5 minutes until heated through.
- Mix in the feta and parsley and check the seasoning.
- Top with toasted flaked almonds and serve.
Wine suggestion by Conrad Louw: This cauliflower couscous dish is ideal as a light evening meal, but I will enjoy it as a lazy Saturday lunch. The Baharat adds to the flavour of the haddock and cauliflower – and certainly does not overpower any single component. My choice would be to go with Merlot to compliment the fish and other elements, which offers lovely red berries, plummy and vegetal notes amongst others. (Red wine with Fish and veg? No! Merlot with Haddock and cauliflower couscous – YES!) There are various good Merlots on the market such as Anura or Fleur du Cap, but I would go for Remhoogte’s Aspect Merlot 2011. Maybe just because I am a fan of Remhoogte, or maybe because the ripe tannins and juicy fruit will make you want to eat more. Or drink more.
If you are in a mood for al fresco dining and white wine, try Flat Roof Manor’s Pinot Grigio. Being off-dry and packed with summer fruit on the palate, it will certainly change this meal into another lunch feast. And it is a wine which will not break the bank.
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Selma
Feb 5, 2014
What a great idea and I love the combination of flavours. Your photos are gorgeous too!
hein
Feb 5, 2014
Thank you Selma!
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Colleen
Apr 29, 2014
What a lovely dish. I am banting and made the cauliflower couscous earlier tonight, served with a grilled fresh tuna steak. Love your idea of adding the bits to the one dish. Beautiful photos too, so colourful and good on the eyes 😉
hein
Apr 30, 2014
Thank you Colleen. I am a lazy after dinner dishwasher so one pot cooking is always the first option. And good luck with the banting!
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