Roasted cauliflower with black garlic

Serves 4-6

Keep it simple: Roasted cauliflower with black garlic

(Jason Lowe)

You might have seen black garlic in specialist shops and wondered what on earth to do with it. The South West Garlic Farm, near where I live in Charmouth, produces it. The garlic bulbs there are very slowly dried at a low temperature for a month, then dried at an ambient temperature for another week. This process lightly caramelises the natural sugars in the garlic cloves and they turn a charcoal-like colour.

It can be used in soups, sauces, crushed into a mayonnaise or simply tossed into a vegetable dish like this.

1 head of cauliflower, cut into large florets and saving the outer green leaves and stems
2-3tbsp rapeseed oil
60g butter
1 bulb of black garlic with the cloves separated
2tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Cook the cauliflower florets and outer leaves in boiling, salted water for about 4-5 minutes, so that it's still a little firm, and drain.

Heat the olive oil in a roasting tray in the oven, add the cauliflower and season. Roast, giving the occasional stir, for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and then, at the last minute, stir in the butter, black garlic and parsley.

Transfer to a serving dish, pouring over the oil and juices from the roasting tray.