Roast cauliflower hummus with wagyu beef and amlou dressing

“Amlou is a traditional Moroccan dip made from argan oil, almonds and honey, and here I’ve used it as the base for a delicious dressing. Roasting the cauliflower brings out its natural sweetness and gives the hummus an extra kick of flavour. When paired with the wagyu beef, it’s a match made in absolute heaven.” Shane Delia, Shane Delia’s Moorish Spice Journey

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 500 g piece wagyu beef rump cap
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• sea salt, to taste
• 1 rosemary sprig
• large handful of watercress and red sorrel leaves, and trimmed baby radishes, to serve

Roast cauliflower hummus

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 125 ml (½ cup) thickened cream
• 160 g (1 cup) tinned chickpeas, rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves, roasted and peeled (see note)
• 60 ml (¼ cup) tahini
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Amlou dressing

• 160 g (1 cup) blanched almonds, roasted and chopped
• 2 tbsp honey
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry vinegar
• 125 ml (½ cup) culinary argan oil, plus extra for drizzling (see note)
• 1 tsp black Aleppo pepper (see note)
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

To make the cauliflower hummus, place the cauliflower florets on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Roast for 40 minutes or until soft and slightly coloured. Remove from the oven and stand until cool. Place in a food processor with the cream and blitz until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until smooth. Check the seasoning and add a little hot water if necessary to achieve the right consistency.

Season the beef with black pepper and sea salt. Heat a heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan over high heat and cook the beef, fat side down until golden and a lot of the fat has rendered. Turn the beef, then add the rosemary and baste the meat with pan juices. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 4 minutes or just until rare. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the amlou dressing, place the almonds, honey, vinegar and argan oil in the small bowl of a food processor and blitz until a paste forms. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in the Aleppo pepper, shallot and chives and, if necessary, another drizzle of argan oil to make a thick dressing.

Thinly slice the beef against the grain and place in a bowl with the salad leaves and radishes. Add just enough dressing to coat – be careful not to overdo it because you don’t want to overpower the flavour of the beef – then toss gently. Spread a big spoonful of hummus over each serving plate and make a cavity in the middle. Top with the beef and salad, then drizzle with a little extra dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

• To roast the garlic, place the un-peeled cloves on a piece of foil, drizzle lightly with olive oil, seal and roast at 170°C for 40 minutes or until soft.

• Argan oil is a plant oil extracted from the kernels of the Argan tree which is native to Morocco. Make sure you buy culinary argan oil intended for cooking as unlike the oil used for cosmetic purposes, the kernels have been roasted before the oil is extracted and this gives the oil its characteristic nutty aroma and delicate flavour.

• Hailing from the Syrian town of the same name, Aleppo pepper is a member of the chilli family and while milder than regular dried chilli flakes it is more complex in flavour. Black Aleppo pepper is slightly smokier and earthier in flavour than its red counterpart but you can use them interchangeably. If unavailable, use a pinch of chilli flakes instead.

Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey starts Thursday 15 October 2015 at 8pm on SBS and finishes 17 December 2015. Visit the Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey program page to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes and read our interview with Shane.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.