Roasted Cauliflower and Israeli Couscous Salad

Whenever I'm invited to a friends house for dinner, I always ask if I can contribute something.  Most of the time the answer is dessert, but once in a while I'm asked to bring a salad.  I have been known to pack all the individual components of a salad into an esky and assemble it on the spot. But sometimes you just want to "set and forget" while you drink Champagne and catch up.  This is that kind of salad. It can be made a head of time, gets better with a little but of time and travels well.  It totally deserves to be taken out to a party.

Roasted Cauliflower and Israeli Couscous Salad

slightly adapted from here

Serves 4

For the Salad:

Olive oil

150g Israeli couscous

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons za'atar

100g toasted natural almonds

50g golden sultanas

For the Dressing:

50ml olive oil

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Squeeze of lemon juice

Sea salt flakes, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the Salad:

Preheat the oven to 200C.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Set aside.

Put the cauliflower florets into a bowl, add the za'atar and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat.  Tip the cauliflower onto the prepared baking tray and roast for about 20 minutes, or until starting to brown at the edges.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the couscous and stir for about 2 minutes to toast slightly.  Add 500ml water and a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and tip into a bowl.  Set aside.

Make the Dressing:

Put the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.

Assemble:

Throw the roasted cauliflower in the bowl with the couscous.  Add the almonds and sultanas. and toss.  Pour in the dressing and toss to coat everything well.  Tip the lot onto a large serving platter.