Crispy Cauliflower with Green Tahini & Lentils

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 x 250g pouches cooked puy lentils
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 15g mint, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 3 tbsp water
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Warm pitta bread, to serve
• Chopped salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Pat the cauliflower florets properly dry — water means steam, and steam means no crisp edges. Toss them in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the cumin, smoked paprika, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. The oil and the heat together will bloom the spices on the tray as they roast — 30 seconds in a hot oven and they smell of themselves rather than dusty.
2. Spread the florets on a tray in a single layer with space between them — crowd the tray and they steam instead of roast. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp at the edges, with a few near-black tips. Don't pull them early; the colour is the flavour.
3. While the cauliflower roasts, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the spring onions and let them soften for a minute, then add the lentils and chickpeas with the lemon zest and half the lemon juice. Keep the heat gentle — you're warming, not frying.
4. Stir in the shredded spinach and let it wilt down for a minute or two. Loosen with a splash of water if it looks dry — the lentils should be glossy, not stodgy. Taste and season with salt and pepper now; lentils need more salt than you'd think.
5. For the green tahini: put the tahini, parsley, mint, grated garlic, the remaining lemon juice and the water into a small blender or processor. Blitz until you have a spoonable green sauce. The garlic is raw here, so use it sparingly — it should hum in the background, not shout. If the sauce seizes and goes claggy, that's the tahini panicking at the acid; just trickle in another splash of water and it'll come back glossy.
6. Taste the tahini sauce — it should be nutty, lemony and fresh. Season again with salt and a crack of pepper, and adjust the lemon juice if it needs more lift. Taste, season, taste again — adjust now, not at the table.
7. Once the cauliflower is out, give the tray a toss so the crispiest dark-edged bits get spread through the softer florets.
8. Spoon the warm lentils across a platter or into shallow bowls, pile the cauliflower on top, drizzle the green tahini generously over the lot so it pools into the lentils as well as the florets, scatter over the extra lemon zest and finish with a slick of olive oil. Bring it to the table while the edges are still crisp.