Roasted cauliflower pilaf with za’atar lamb and tahini sauce

• serves

  4

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

Ingredients

Pilaf

• 1 small head cauliflower (600g), cut into small florets
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1½ tbsp cumin seeds, coarsely ground
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 cup SunRice Mountain Blend Rice
• 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
• ¼ cup currants
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 2 wide strips lemon zest
• freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup toasted slivered almonds
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Za’atar lamb

• 2 (400g each) lamb racks
• 2 tbsp za’ atar (see Note)

Tahini sauce

• ½ cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ½ garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tsp water

Instructions

Combine all tahini sauce ingredients. Cover and set aside.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place cauliflower florets in a baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with cumin seeds and salt. Toss to combine. Place on a low rack in the oven and roast 40 minutes or until tender, turning half way through cooking. 

Meanwhile, rinse the rice well under cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring for 1 minute longer. Add the rice, currants, stock, lemon zest and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 35 minutes or until liquid has absorbed. Gently stir rice with a fork to separate grains.

While the pilaf is cooking, prepare the lamb racks. Rub za’atar over the lamb and place in a baking pan. Bake on an upper oven shelf (above the cauliflower) for 30 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil, then allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Add roasted cauliflower, almonds, parsley and mint to pilaf and stir to combine.

Cut each lamb rack into portions.

Serve with cauliflower pilaf and tahini sauce.

Note
• Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice and sesame seed mixture. If unavailable, use a Moroccan spice mix.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.