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Roasted and Pickled Cauliflower Salad with Almonds and Chives

One of the most versatile vegetables around, the humble cauliflower is also a hardy plant (as well as being very attractive to caterpillars, we’ve found). I like the combination of the nutty, roasted cauliflower in this dish with the sour zing of the pickled cauliflower, which you can prepare up to 12 hours ahead. The toasted almonds also add a richness to the dish and the chives bring a refreshing oniony hit.

SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES

2 heads of cauliflower, leaves removed

60g butter, cubed

½ bunch of chives, cut in half

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PICKLING LIQUOR

2 tbsp demerara sugar

125ml white wine vinegar

2 cloves

FOR THE ALMOND BUTTER

120g flaked almonds

3–5 tbsp olive oil

1 Cut each cauliflower head in half, top to bottom and through the core. Cut 12 thin slices from both the halved (flat) edges, about 3mm in thickness. Cutting through the stem, cut the rest of the cauliflower into florets. Place the thin slices in a large, shallow heatproof dish.

2 To make the pickled cauliflower, put the sugar, vinegar and cloves in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the pickling liquor over the thin cauliflower slices. Cover with clingfilm and set aside while you roast the remaining cauliflower and make the almond butter.

3 Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.

4 Place the cauliflower florets in a large roasting tray and scatter the cubed butter on top. Season generously with salt and pepper and cover the entire tray with foil. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes, basting the cauliflower with the butter twice during the cooking time, until the cauliflower florets are golden and tender.

5 To make the almond butter, put the flaked almonds in a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 7–8 minutes, until dark golden, shaking the tray halfway through. Remove from the oven, set 20g of the roasted, flaked almonds aside, then put the remaining 100g in a blender with the olive oil and blitz until they reach the consistency of loose nut butter. Season well.

6 When the cauliflower florets are cooked, place them on a large serving platter. Add the chives to the roasting tray and place back in the oven for 1 minute, to gently wilt them, then spoon them over the cauliflower. Drizzle the almond butter over the top and top with the pickled cauliflower slices and reserved toasted almonds.