Oven-Baked Cauliflower with Tahini with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Spread the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt and black pepper.

   Baking pan
3. 3
   Roast 25–30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender inside and browned outside.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡A hot oven and room in the pan: crowded cauliflower steams instead of browning, and the sweet, toasty flavor never comes.
4. 4
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
5. 5
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. 6
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt.
7. 7
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
8. 8
   Transfer to a plate and drizzle the tahini sauce on top.