Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Yogurt and Zhoug
With Jess Bunn of The Culinary Cartel
For Jess Bunn, say yes and figure it out along the way is a motto she lives by, and it has served her well. A London-based South African chef, Jess began honing her skills in the kitchen as a teenager while assisting her sister on private chef gigs. Feeling inspired, from there she attended culinary school before returning to the private chef world on her own, accepting every opportunity—whether she was ready for it or not. Her boldness has taken her all over the world and exposed her to the cultures and cuisines that have shaped her palette. With these experiences as her foundation, her work for clients and the recipes she shares on her instagram page, The Culinary Cartel, reflect both her lived experience and her studied approach to flavour.
Recently, Jess joined me for lunch and as we prepared spiced and roasted cauliflower together, I was absorbed in stories about her past. From her childhood in South Africa to her travels through Asia and the Middle East, she has accumulated experiences and wisdom that come across in her determined and steadfast demeanour. As we cooked, our dish evolved. We coated the cauliflower in a mixture of olive oil and spices and roasted it until golden and tender, then served it on tahini yogurt with a bright zhoug spooned overtop. Just before serving, Jess tore toasted pita bread into shards, nestling them into crevices throughout the dish—ideal for scooping up the tender and saucy cauliflower. It was heavenly.
Below, you’ll find the recipe, followed by some handy tips and a brief Q&A with Jess.
Ingredients:
Roasted cauliflower
1 large head of cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into large florets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
Tahini Yogurt
150g Greek yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Zhoug oil
1/4 bunch (~10g) cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 bunch (~10g) parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt, to taste
1-2 pita breads, to serve
Instructions:
Make the roasted cauliflower: preheat your oven to 200°C (425°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Stir together the oil, ground spices, and salt in a large bowl, then add the cauliflower and toss until coated. Transfer the cauliflower to your tray and place it in the oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes, turning halfway, until nicely caramelized and tender.
Keep a close eye on any small or exterior florets to ensure they don’t burn.
While the cauliflower roasts, make the tahini yogurt and zhoug. For the yogurt, stir together all of the ingredients until homogeneous. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or lemon juice if necessary, then set aside until ready to use.
For the zhoug, stir together the herbs, ground spices, oil, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if necessary, then set aside until ready to use.
Once the cauliflower is done roasting, assemble the dish by spreading the yogurt across the base of a serving dish, then arranging the cauliflower overtop. Spoon the zhoug over, then serve with warm pita bread.
Make sure not to overcrowd your pan when roasting the cauliflower - each piece should have some breathing room. A crowded pan will cause the cauli to steam and it won’t brown as nicely. If you need to spread the florets between two pans, do so.Â
A smooth, runny tahini is ideal for making the yogurt sauce. Stir it well to emulsify the oil that inevitably settles at the top of a jar before measuring.
As always, the quality of your ingredients makes a big difference. My preference is always to use whole spices and to grind them right before cooking using a mortar and pestle or spice mill — this preserves their flavour and usually leads to a better result than cooking with packaged ground spices. That said, if you can get your hands on nice, freshly ground cumin or cardamom, by all means use those here.
My Q&A with Jess Bunn:
Allegra: Can you share with us the story and how you got into cooking and private cheffing?
Jess: My sister was a really good cook and she started private cheffing while I was still in school, I used to go along and help her for some pocket money and it snowballed from there. I went to chef school right out of high school and then went to university for economics and journalism, but instead of taking a typical student job, I started private cheffing while studying. I never planned to work in a restaurant kitchen but through doing that I ended up cheffing. I then started helping people open restaurants and got into consulting. I basically said yes to everything, figuring it out along the way. Gradually I taught myself about cameras and media, which is something I studied a bit at university, and all of these things led me to realize that food media was a good fit for me.Â
A: I know that travel is a big part of your life, both for work as a private chef and for exploring and learning more about the world. How has travel influenced your palette and style of cooking?
J: I’ve private cheffed all throughout the Mediterranean and I love the modern European style of cooking. My preference is for light, fresh food with plenty of olive oil and herbs. I also spent some time living in Asia in my 20s and that’s been a big influence on my cooking, I particularly love South-East Asian food. Because of private cheffing, I basically have had to develop a broad palette because you have to be able to cook what your client wants, so I love every cuisine, from the Middle East to South American. If a client requests something I’m not familiar with, its a great chance to try something new.Â
A: Where do you seek inspiration for your recipes?
J: Cookbooks and travel! I try to do 1-2 food trips a year, to places that interest me in terms of food. Often one will be in Europe and the other outside of the continent, somewhere to push the boundaries of my knowledge of dishes and technique. I inevitably come home with a long list of recipes, and I usually order a good cookbook about the cuisine of that region and then cook through it and get a feel for the cuisine and style.
A: Is there an ingredient or dish that you’re excited about at the moment?
J: Calabrian chilli! I’m adding it to everything.Â
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