This Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas recipe is this year’s addition to my plant-forward repertoire. It illustrates how seasoning with an unusual spice blend can amplify the flavor of a common vegetable.
When I was growing up in Maryland, Mama and other family cooks cooked vegetables they knew. Thus, my vegetable diet was limited to those that grew in Ukraine’s temperate continental climate — carrots, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, beets, beans and peas, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, eggplant, sorrel, spinach, cauliflower, parsley, dill and a variety of grains, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, barley. Vegetables, often cooked too long with scant spicing, merely salt and pepper, and occasionally with some garlic, parsley or dill, were never stars at family dinners but were an afterthought to the protein component of a meal.
After college, I discovered Indian vegetarian dishes with impressive seasoning, and I realized that vegetables did not need to be bland but could be rich and savory, as satisfying as any animal or fish protein. Later in my travels, I discovered vegetables enhanced masterfully with spices and herbs in Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. When I travel now, I explore markets to understand which vegetables local cooks prepare, and I purchase local spices to replicate the taste of a particular cuisine at home.
During a trip to Morocco several years ago, I sampled dishes with deep, complex flavors — aromatic tagines, earthy, savory stews, spicy grilled meats and fish, fragrant vegetable couscous, garlicky yogurt, sweet, saffroned, fruited rice and turmeric, chili roasted potatoes. Each dish seemed to have unique spicing, but I was surprised to learn that the dominant seasoning in these iconic Moroccan dishes was ras el hanout.
Searching for the ubiquitous, emblematic ras el hanout, I explored the shops and stalls in Marrakesh’s medinas, overwhelmed by unforgettable aromas and abundant fragrances. The air was scented with recognizable and mysterious smells from colorful towers of freshly ground spices and baskets brimming with herbs, branches, pods, seeds, teas and unspecified crystals. I asked shopkeepers which spices and herbs were included in their spice mix and quickly learned that the blends differed widely.
The term ras el hanout, which in Arabic means ‘top of the shop’ or ‘head of the shop,’ represents a unique blend of the finest spices available at any spice shop. In her seminal cookbook The Food of Morocco*, Paula Wolfert notes: Ras el hanout…seems to fascinate everyone, foreigners and Moroccans alike. It is a very old mixture of many spices, sometimes 10, sometimes 19, sometimes 26; Moroccans have told me of a ras el hanout that contained more than 100 ingredients. Theoretically, almost any addition is permissible.
The origins of ras el hanout are unknown, but legend says that the blend originated with North African spice merchants. Its use can be traced back to the Middle Ages, mainly in Morocco, with versions in Algeria and Tunisia. Ras el hanout reflects Morocco’s cultural and colonial history. Most of the spices used in ras el hanout did not originate in Morocco but were brought by Silk Road spice traders from the East and colonists and incorporated into Moroccan cooking.
Marrakesh spice merchants
There is no standard recipe for this fragrant Moroccan spice mix. Still, some basic ingredients commonly include aniseed, green cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, chili peppers, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin, black cumin, dried ginger, nutmeg and turmeric. Beyond the basics, spice merchants may add allspice, caraway, caraway, cayenne, chilis, fennel, fenugreek, black and white pepper, mace, mustard seeds, nigella, orris seeds, paprika (hot, sweet or smoky), African rue, saffron, star anise, sumac, orange and lemon zest and rose petals.
Ras el hanout
Aside from its culinary contribution, ras el hanout is also believed to have health benefits. It is alleged to contain antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and relieve indigestion and nausea. Additionally, Paula Wolfert notes that …The aphrodisiacs (Spanish fly and ash berries) that appear in many versions are the reason the mere mention of the mix will put a gleam in a Moroccan cook’s eye.
As I searched for the most complex ras el hanout, I learned that Moroccan cooks use this mouth-watering aromatic blend daily in slow-cooked, saucy dishes—tagines, stews, and soups—or as a rub on meat, fish, and barbecue dishes. It is also added to rice pilafs and egg dishes or incorporated into almond and honey desserts.
As I read Hettie Liu Mc Kinnon’s James Beard Award-winning cookbook Tenderhearts: A Cookbook about Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds*, I was intrigued by her unconventional use of ras el hanout with an ordinary vegetable in a non-Moroccan dish. McKinnon explains in the introduction: My approach to vegetables is unapologetic. I’ve long believed that almost any dish –even dishes that are meaty in origin – can be created with vegetables at the helm. Vegetables are inherently more flexible and adaptable than people think, and the more you cook with them, the more you experiment and explore, the more multifaceted they become.
On cauliflower, McKinnon says: The joy in cauliflower is not its ability to replace another food, but its pure physical form—frothy, curdlike flowers that are sweet and musky. In this recipe, McKinnon’s experiment with ras el hanout brings “warmth and richness” to the cauliflower’s sweet and musky taste.
This cauliflower recipe is easy to prepare from pantry and readily available ingredients. Numerous versions of ras el hanout are available in Middle Eastern stores and online with included spices listed on the label. I suggest picking a brand with multiple spices to replicate the complex flavor of a Moroccan blend. The ras el hanout I bought in Marrakesh consisted of 25 + spices and herbs, flavorful but not fiery. Many brands of tahini also are available in most grocery stores and online.
Mashed chickpeas ingredients
I grew up in a meat-and-potatoes and occasionally fish family. In recent years, however, I’ve gravitated to a lighter, more flavorful diet, preparing several all-vegetable meals weekly. This Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas dish enriches my vegetarian repertoire. This recipe does not replicate a Moroccan dish. Still, it illustrates how this versatile North African spice blend can create a multifaceted light and exotic dish, particularly luscious when served on a bed of deconstructed, lemony, garlicky hummus.
This Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas makes a perfect hot weather dinner. It is savory and profoundly satisfying at room temperature. I serve it with soft pita to wipe up the chunky hummus.
Ras el Hanout Cauliflower Wedges with Mashed Chickpeas, adapted from Hettie Liu McKinnon, Tenderhearts*
1 head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds 900 g), trimmed of leaves but with core intact
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons ras el hanout, finely ground
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Handful of Italian parsley or dill
For mashed chickpeas
½ cup (130 g) tahini
juice of one lemon (223 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups (500 g) cooked chickpeas (about two 15 ounces/423 g, drained)
sea salt and black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley or dill
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For serving:
soft pita, homemade or purchased
Preparing the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC).
Place cauliflower stem side up on cutting board and cut through the stem into 4 equal wedges, ensuring each wedge is attached to part of the stem. Arrange the cauliflower wedges on a sheet pan, drizzle with a generous amount of oil, sprinkle with the ras el hanout, salt and pepper. Massage the oil and seasonings into the cauliflower until well coated. Place in oven and roast for 30-35, until golden and tender when pierced with a knife. When the cauliflower is ready, remove from oven and drizzle with wine vinegar.
Cauliflower coated with ras el hanout — ready to roast
Preparing mashed chickpeas: Place tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin in a bowl and add ½ cup (120 ml) of water. Whisk until smooth—mash half of the chickpeas by hand or with a potato masher or fork. For a smoother mash, remove the translucent peels from the chickpeas before add them to tahini mixture. Stir to combine and then add the whole chickpeas with 1 teaspoon of salt, parsley or dill and olive oil. Season well with black pepper. Taste and adjust lemon juice, salt and pepper it needed.
Mashed chickpeas
Serve a wedge of cauliflower with a few spoons of mashed chickpeas. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley. Serve pita bread to scoop up the mashed chickpeas.
Serves 4
* Hettie Liu Mc Kinnon, Tenderhearts: A Cookbook about Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds, Knopf (2023).
Photo credits: All photos by Slava Johnson
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