‘ROASTED’ CAULIFLOWER TACOS

This recipe was inspired by the famous Spanish Romesco sauce, which is typically eaten with fish. I wanted to do something a little different, so I worked around my variation of the classic sauce, which is an unusual way of cooking, but we don’t judge here.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• sunflower oil for frying
• ½ small head cauliflower,
• cut into florets
• salt to taste
• 60g green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup tomato salsa (pico de gallo)
• juice of ½ lime
• 6 warm corn tortillas (page 11)
• fresh coriander for garnishing

For the Romesco-style sauce

• 1 whole tomato
• ½ tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 whole chipotle chillies in
• adobo sauce
• 50ml canola or sunflower oil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup (66g) cashew nuts, roasted

Method

1. First, make the romesco-style sauce. Over an open flame, char the tomato until the skin is blistered and blackened. Place the tomato with the rest of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Keep refrigerated.
2. Heat a little sunflower/canola oil in a heavy-based pot to 180ºC, then fry the cauliflower florets until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
3. Mix the cabbage, pico de gallo and lime juice in a bowl.
4. Fill each taco by placing some of the cabbage salsa along the centre of the tortilla. Top with cauliflower and dollops of Romesco sauce. Garnish with fresh coriander.

CORN TORTILLAS

Makes 55 tortillas

Ingredients

• 2kg masa harina
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 6–8 cups warm water

Method

1. Combine the masa harina and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, gradually add enough warm water until a dough begins to form. Then, using your hands, knead the dough for 2 minutes in the mixing bowl, shaping it into a smooth ball. The dough should feel springy and firm, like Playdough. If it feels too wet and is sticking to your hands, add a few extra tablespoons of masa harina. If it feels too dry and crackly, add in an extra tablespoon or two of warm water.  
2. Weigh out the dough into 30g balls. Place each ball between two pieces of clingfilm in the centre of a tortilla press and, in one swift motion, press the top part down to flatten the dough. Alternatively, roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin to 2–3mm thick and 12cm in diameter.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, peel away the clingfilm and place the tortilla gently into the dry pan. Cook for about 40 seconds on each side, or until small brown spots or speckles begin to appear. The tortilla should puff up slightly.
4. Once the tortilla is cooked, place it on a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep it warm while you cook the remainder.