1largehead of cauliflower (about 2 lbs/900 g)(~8 cups prepared)
½cup(80 g) pitted dates
½cup(60 g) shelled pistachio nuts(or almonds)
¼cupfinely minced shallot or onion(¼ of a medium onion)
¼cup(60 ml) white wine vinegar
½cup (120 ml) olive oil
4teaspoonsras el hanout(Moroccan spice blend)
2teaspoons honey
½teaspoonfine sea salt
¼teaspoonpepper
2-3tablespoonschopped cilantro or mint
Instructions
Trim the cauliflower of any green leaves and the hard stem end. Divide the head into florets, then separate the florets into small popcorn-sized sections. Dice any stems and core pieces into small cubes (about ¼-inch/.6cm). You should have about 8 cups of prepared cauliflower in total.
Pit the dates and dice them - cut each date lengthwise into quarters, then cut the quarters into 3 or 4 pieces.Roughly chop the pistachios (or almonds).
Finely mince the onion, then add it to a small jar along with the vinegar, oil, ras el hanout, honey, salt, and pepper. Shake well to combine the ingredients for the salad dressing. The dressing can be prepared up to a few days ahead and refrigerated until needed.
Add the prepared cauliflower, dates, nuts, and chopped herbs (if using them) to a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Leave the cauliflower to marinate in the dressing for about 2 hours before serving it.
Makes 8 cups (2 litres) of salad. Leftovers keep well for up to 5 days, refrigerated.
Notes
The salad will be very tangy when freshly made, but after a couple of hours to rest, the dressing will be absorbed into the cauliflower and it will be just right.Leftover salad will keep well for up to 5 days refrigerated. If the dressing loses some of its tanginess after chilling for a day or two, leftovers can be refreshed with a tiny drizzle of additional vinegar tossed into the salad.Nutritional values are for 1 serving/1 cup of salad (⅛ of the recipe).