Cauliflower is not one of those things one usually fantasizes about when hungry. I mean, you don´t hear, ¨Oh, if only I had a big plate of cauliflower to make me feel better after such a crappy day!´ Don´t get me wrong. I like it. It is just that there is nothing interesting about it. So, when I finally got around to making this, I did not have so much enthusiasm for starting. This recipe is part of the Cookthebookfridays group which is dedicated to making all the recipes in David Lebovitz´s My Paris Kitchen . I knew it would be good but I did not expect to be overly impressed.
That goes to show how little I really know. I have discovered Dukkah and how it can take something kind of boring into something delicious.Not just delicious..something you could get a craving for!
So, what is dukkah? Dukkah is an Egyptian seasoning that consists of nuts, seeds and spices. These include:
Sesame seeds
Cumin
Nuts such as taosted ground pistachios, almonds, (I used almonds) pine nuts, hazelnuts, cashews or macademia nuts
Coriander
Sea salt
Fennel
Dukkah is very easy to make and here are some instructions on how to make it. The instruction are from David Lebovitz´s website
Egyptian Spiced Nut Mix (Dukkah)
From My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories, by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press, 2014)
Makes 1½ cups (150g)
½ cup (50g) hazelnuts
1/3 cup (50g) sesame seeds
¼ cup (35g) hulled pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1½ teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them for 8 to 10 minutes, until the nuts are lightly browned and most of the skins are loosened. Remove from the oven. When the nuts are cool enough to handle, rub them briskly in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. Put the nuts into a bowl.
3. Heat a skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Start with the sesame seeds, spreading them in an even layer in the pan and shaking or stirring them frequently, until they crackle and become lightly browned. Scrape them into the bowl with the hazelnuts. Then toast the pumpkin seeds, then the coriander, the cumin, and finally the fennel seeds in the same way, adding each to the bowl as it is done. Finally, toast the peppercorns. Most will take less than a minute. Add the salt.
4. Grind the nuts, seeds, and spices, in a mortar and pestle, with a spice grinder, or in the bowl of a mini food processor, working in batches if necessary, until the mixture is well ground together, but not too fine.
Dukkah will keep for about a month stored in an airtight jar at room temperature.
Variations: Use toasted almonds, peanuts, or cashews in place of the hazelnuts. Make a quick dip by stirring together ¾ cup (75g) of dukkah with 6 tablespoons (90ml) of olive oil in a small bowl.
Here is arecipe for roasting cauliflower. Follow the instructions but eliminate the spices in the recipe. Add the dukkah about 10 minutes before the aking time is finished.
⭐The roasting time can vary depending on the oven.
My husband was thrilled with this as well. Even he was stunned by how delicious it was.
So, what have I learned? Well, it is clear that I learned what dukkah is but I also learned to keep an open mind. A dish may not appear so ¨exciting¨but it does not mean that it won´t be wonderful.
Thank you to Karen for suggesting this as a recipe to make this month. And thank you to the lovely members of this group that make it so much fun!
Enjoy! xxxxNatascha
I am one of those people who loves cauliflower and cabbage 😀 I am sure this tasted delightful – will try this out sometime 🙂
I think I underrate those veggies! After trying this, I am hooked! I hope you like it too! 😙😙😙
I love roasted cauliflower, so am looking forward to trying it with dukkah 🙂
Oh! you will not be disappointed! xxxxxx
🙂
I’ve always been an outlier with these sorts of things – when I’d come home from university, sometimes all I’d want for dinner was a whole head of steamed cauliflower, seasoned with salt and pepper. This recipe, though – between the dukkah itself and the caramelized cauliflower, I was in heaven. My younger self had no idea what she was missing.
That is exactly how I feel! I have had this recipe for ages, and never botbered to know anything about it. I had no idea what I was missing. I would never have discovered it if it hadn´t been for this cooking group. So glad!!
I love roasted vegetables, including cauliflower. I will definitely try it with these flavorings.
Roasted vegetables ARE fantastic and trust me, you will not be disappointed with the dukkah! xxxx
Glad you enjoyed – I love roasted cauliflower, so I felt pretty good going into this one; however, the dukkah was a pleasant surprise.
Thank you so much! Like you say, the dukkah was an eye opener! So yummy!!
Sounds wonderful for low carb, Natascha! Thanks for the recipe.
You´re welcome! The dukkah is just wonderful and it doesn´t take over the flavour of the cauliflower! It is so yuummy!!
This looks so yummy. And yes, I agree with you, there’s nothing really interesting about cauliflower. I will have to try this one. Just need to get the spice ingredients first.
Have a great weekend Natascha.
🙂
Oh great! I hope you enjoy it too. Even my hubby was a cauliflower doubter until he tried this!! xxxxxx
Looks so delicious, Natascha! I have My Paris Kitchen, but haven’t made this recipe. Based on your recommendation, I’ll definitely be bookmarking that page! 🙂
Thank you so much! You will not be disappointed! If you have the book, maybe you would like to join us? I just joined and you only make two recipes per month! Would love to see you there!
I would love to join, Natascha! Is that ok?
Of COURSE!!!! Just click on the link for cookbookfridays to get more information. The next recipe is the Belgian beef stew on page 198. The date for posting it is two weeks from yesterday. 👍👍👍
Will do and thanks!
No problem! I just started too and the group members are super friendly!
That’s what I love about this group, all of those recipes which I would have skipped over because they looked difficult or uninspiring often turn out to be the best ones. So glad you’ve joined us!
I totally agree! You meet new people, share your experiences with the same recipe with people from all over and yes, you discover new recipes and techniques. Just fantastic! thank you so much!!
Your cauliflower looks perfect! You are so right…the dish wasn’t exciting, but it certainly was delicious! Happy Fieday!
Thank you so much! Same to you my friend xxxxxxx
Glad that you loved this so much! Yours looks like it turned out just perfectly.
Thank you so much! Have a great weekend! 😙😙😙
Natascha, I agree – the roasting time does vary- I look at other dishes and the cauliflower is a nice golden brown, unlike my deep brown (almost black) coloring. Next time will lower the heat 😉
My oven is pretty fast so I am usually cautious about baking times. Still, this recipe was incredible, wasn´t it? xxxx
Love roasted cauliflower and your looks really good 🙂
Thank you so much! And with the dukkah this makes the cauliflower really shine! Just yummy!!
I’ve seen quite a few recipes lately with Dukkah in them, I guess I’m behind the times! I’ll have to see about making some soon!
This is the first time I have used dukkah and we both loved it.
I only prepared 1/2 the recipe, but it was so good I had to repeat it again today for dinner.
I agree! It is definitely worth making more.Discovering dukkah was really a highlight for both of us! xxxx
I am a huge cauliflower loverrrr! !!…xD…I’m gonna try this right after my internals! I hope your misconceptions about cauliflower is over😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Oh absolutely over! Cauliflower is now on the top list haha! I hope you love this too!
I had no idea how good cauliflower could taste either! You did a great job making it photogenic as well!
Thank you so much! This was clearly an eye opener for both of us! 👏👏👏😊😊😊
Hi Natascha, your roasted cauliflower looks perfect and you photographed it well too! Good to have you with us in our journey with David’s My Paris Kitchen
Hi! Thank you so much! A pretty dish does wonders! I love being a part of this group, learning new things and meeting people like you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend my friend xxxx
Agreed! I was pleasantly surprised as well…not the biggest cauliflower fan here but I will devour it when it’s combined with dukkah!
Devour is a perfect word in this case. Can I invent a word and say “Devourable”? Haha!
I just recently learned about Dukkah from another blogger! How fun, a new application! This cauliflower looks like perfection!
Oh you won’t be disappointed with this one! Thanks a lot! I could eat just this for dinner and be very happy indeed!!
I think I could too! 👍
So glad you liked it, Natascha! We did, too. This is also why I really enjoy doing the cook-the-book projects: I make something I’d not normally gravitate to (well, this one I would’ve, but you know what I mean) and figure out new things I like.
You are right! This one was a winner! 👏👏👏👍👍👍👍😙😙😙
This looks great. thanks for the recipe of dukkah. Adding to my list!
You’re so welcome! 😙😙😙😙
I never really liked cauliflower until I discovered that roasting transforms it. But I always made it plain. Dukkah brings it to a whole new level.
I totally agree! This was a discovery! Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a good week! 😊😊😊
I think what we’re all learning is that everything in My Paris Kitchen is going to be tasty whether we’ve tried it before or not. This has been such a well-received cookbook the past year or so and I am happy to be cooking through it. I also have been surprised about how flavorful dukkah is. This is my second (and, most favorite) version. Your pictures of the cauliflower jump off the page. Compliment font.
You are so right. So far, the recipes are really opening my eyes about food and cooking. I really look forward to preparing them because I know I will learn something new! Dukkah is just fantastic. My hubby loved it too. Thank you for liking my photos. A lovely dish will complement any food! Have a great week and see you at the next posting! 😊😊😊
This was a fun one! My first time with dukkah and with roasting cauliflower, and it won’t be my last for either.
You’re right! Definitely not the last! 👍
I’ve been hearing a lot about Dukkah lately and maybe the challenge is why! This looks like a lovely and lively dish! Thanks for linking with us at Throwback Thursday last week and sorry I didn’t get by earlier to comment!
Mollie
Yes! Quite a few people are participating in the group! The dukkah is just fantastic! Thank you xxxx