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Dairy
Easy
35 Minutes
Diets 
The first thing I noticed when I walked into North Abraxas in Tel Aviv was an entire cupboard filled with whole roasted cauliflowers resting on parchment paper. It was an unexpected decoration, even though a friend who visited Chef Eyal Shani’s restaurant in Paris forewarned me that he was big time into cauliflower. I am a huge fan of cauliflower but have only had it cut up into florets or as a baby. Here, they were the size of volleyballs. This was the most audacious display of cauliflower I had ever seen. And they were delicious. At Pizzeria Mozza, I have included the cauliflower in our new roasted vegetable program. This is how we serve it there.
2 whole cauliflowers with green leaves attached
Bartenura Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (for rubbing cauliflowers)
2 tablespoons za’atar
1 cup (245 grams) whole milk
Greek yogurt, but not an overly thick brand
2 tablespoons Bartenura Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or 2-3 cubes Gefen Frozen Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Haddar Kosher Salt
1/2 cup (20 grams) packed whole mint leaves, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
freshly ground Gefen Pepper
Preheat the oven to its highest setting, usually 450–500 degrees Fahrenheit (230–260 degrees Celsius). Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Add the cauliflowers and blanch for six minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Remove cauliflowers from the boiling water and submerge them in ice water to stop the cooking process.
When cauliflowers are cool, remove from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels.
Set on baking sheets or in a baking pan and massage generously with olive oil, making sure that the oil seeps into all the crevices of the cauliflowers, especially the centers.
Roast cauliflowers until they are browned, rotating the pan for even browning, 15 to 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the cauliflowers with za’atar.
Place the yogurt in a bowl.
Add the oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and stir well. Using a spatula, fold in the mint. Season with pepper.
Serve cauliflowers whole with yogurt sauce.
Photograph by Steven Rothfeld from Israel Eats, reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith.
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