Cauliflower salad with charred dates and pistachios
You should be frying your dates in butter
Good morning and happy Passover! I’m sharing the best kind of salad: a leaf-less one! Because anything can be a salad, “make one of an ingredient about which you get excited, or of whatever looks most lively, or of whatever you have around already” (Tamar Adler, An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace). I had some cauliflower lingering in my fridge, leftover from a recipe test, that I wanted to use up for dinner the other night. I had seen a recipe for a roasted cauliflower salad with dates and pistachios from Smitten Kitchen and with a few changes, I created this fabulous roasted cauliflower salad with charred dates, pistachios, and a few other goodies to really make it pop.
The cauliflower is roasted in a hot oven for about 30 minutes until it’s golden brown and buttery. The dates are fried in butter. The pistachios add color and crunch. There are loads of fresh chopped herbs—I used mint, parsley, and dill but use whatever you have on hand. There is red wine vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to add brightness. And flaky sea salt is the cherry on top.
I threw a few broccoli florets that I also needed to use up onto the baking sheet along with the cauliflower. You could use just broccoli or try other cruciferous vegetables, like Brussels sprouts or cabbage—this “recipe” is really incredibly malleable. Crumbled feta would be a great addition, too, and add a creaminess that kind of melts into a dressing. Use pine nuts in lieu of pistachios or even roughly chopped and toasted hazelnuts, which are my favorite nut and I would gladly eat with most things. Drizzle tahini sauce overtop. Add finely chopped preserved lemon into the mix for an extra tang or small dollops of harissa for spice. Anything goes as you can tell.
No matter how you make it, this salad would be a perfect distraction if you’re avoiding anything leavened for Passover, or just want a delicious, fresh, and leaf-less salad (like I do most days!). I served it with my favorite slow-roasted sesame salmon (brushed with tahini, coated in sesame seeds, and baked at 325F for about 20 minutes) and some sautéed spinach (with a squeeze of lemon juice). Maybe one of my best clean-out-the-fridge meals yet!
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Charred Dates and Pistachios
Serves 2
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Splash of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup herbs (such as mint, parsley, and/or dill), roughly chopped
1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon butter
4 pitted soft Medjool dates
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Flaky salt
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the cauliflower to the baking sheet along with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Toss until coated. Bake for 30 minutes until the cauliflower is golden brown, charred in spots, and buttery. Immediately splash with red wine vinegar so it soaks into the cauliflower and evaporates from the baking sheet.
In a small skillet (I used a cast-iron), melt the butter over medium heat. Open the dates like a book and flatten them a bit with your hands. Place them in the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop or tear into large pieces.
In a large bowl, add the roasted cauliflower, herbs, pistachios, charred dates, lemon zest and juice, another drizzle of olive oil, and a big pinch of flaky salt and toss until combined. Season with salt to taste.