CAULIFLOWER AND PARMESAN CAKE

1 medium cauliflower

1 large red onion, peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

10 medium or 8 large eggs

Handful basil, chopped

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese

Salt and black pepper

Butter, for greasing pan

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Break cauliflower into medium florets (this will cause less mess than chopping it). Place floret in a pot with a teaspoon of salt, cover them with water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft. Strain and let drip in the colander for a few minutes so they dry and cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the batter. Halve your red onion and cut a few thin rings off the large end of one side; set them aside. Coarsely chop the remainder of your onion. Heat all of your olive oil in a saucepan and saute the chopped red onion and rosemary together until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk eggs and olive oil and onion mixture together. Stir in basil. Whisk flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and many, many grinds of black pepper together in a separate bowl and add to egg mixture, whisking to remove lumps. Stir in cauliflower gently, so most pieces remain intact.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch round spring form pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides generously. Put the sesame seeds in the pan and toss them around so that they stick to the sides. Pour in the cauliflower batter, arrange the reserved onion rings on top and bake cake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Smitten Kitchen

Adapted, only a little, from Yotam Ottolenghi

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