How to Make Roasted Cauliflower and Pearl Barley

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-assisted/200°C conventional.
2. Top and tail the onion then cut in half through the root. Peel and cut into wedges, then separate each wedge into petals. Place the petals straight onto a baking sheet in a single layer, along with 1 tbsp oil and a sprinkling of salt.
3. Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and set aside for roasting later.
4. Remove the base of the stalk, then cut the cauliflower in half and then half again right from top to bottom. Break away the florets into bite-sized pieces and place them into a bowl. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and sumac along with 1 tbsp of oil to the cauliflower, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss well to coat in the oil and seasoning.  
5. Place the cauliflower onto a second baking sheet in an even layer, ensuring that the florets are well spaced out, this will help them roast as opposed to steam. Roast both the onion and cauliflower for 15 minutes or until starting to caramelise, turning halfway through.
6. Fill a medium saucepan two-thirds full with water, add in the pearl barley and bring to a boil. Regulate the heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until the pearl barley is cooked through, yet retains texture and bite.
7. After 15 minutes of cooking, remove the onions and cauliflower from the oven. Season the cauliflower leaves with a little oil, salt and pepper then add them to the cauliflower tray for the remaining 10 minutes. Check the onions over and roast for a further 5-10 minutes until the edges are caramelised and the petals have softened.
8. Once tender and evenly caramelised, remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
9. Drain well through a sieve, rest the sieve and pearl barley over a bowl, and allow to steam dry for five minutes. Add the grains to a bowl and season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.  Set aside to cool ready for later.
10. Collect the washed baby spinach and leave it at room temperature.
11. Zest and juice 2 limes, pick the dill and coriander leaves (it is fine to use some of the more tender coriander stems as they are full of flavour). Reserve some dill fronds for garnishing the dish when plating.
12. Cut the chilli in half down the length and remove the seeds using a teaspoon, then roughly chop. Add this all into a small bowl.
13. Place the yoghurt, herbs, chilli, ½ of the lime zest and 1 tbsp of the juice, along with some salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, creating a green sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
14. By this stage, all of the components (onion petals, roasted cauliflower, pearl barley, spinach and yoghurt dressing) should be ready and at the right temperature.
15. Mix the prepared onion, cauliflower, pearl barley and a large spoonful of the yoghurt dressing in a large bowl, taste and adjust the seasoning.
16. In a serving dish place a handful of spinach, a couple of spoonfuls of the salad mixture and a drizzle of dressing, building the salad in layers. Top with a good drizzle of the sauce and some dill fronds (Note you may not need all the spinach - we used 2/3 of the spinach in our salad).
17. This dish is best served at room temperature. Flavour and texture will be best on the day of making though it can be stored for up to 3 days (undressed) in the fridge.

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