Intro
What an amazing season it’s been for cookbooks. Stacks have formed in every corner of the house, on the kitchen counter and threatened to tumble off the coffee table. I’m currently working on gathering a list of my favorites for those who are looking to add to their own collection or who have friends who love to find cookbooks under the tree. In the meantime let’s talk about Molly Yeh and her tacos.
Her book, Molly on the Range, is a fanciful glimpse into her farm kitchen. Her story takes you from Juilliard to a sugar beet farm (seriously it’s amazing) and weaves into that food often laced with tahini and always intriguing enough to get me bounding into the kitchen.
These tacos are just such a recipe. I questioned their ease and doubted the ability for cauliflower to be worthy of a tortilla. I love it when a recipe proves me wrong and settles my fears with a hearty and flavorsome bite. It’s just the sort of meal that makes sense on a Tuesday or welcome at the table when guests fill the seats. When a braise feels like too much and you need an evening off from cream and cheese these tacos are your answer.
I’ve included the recipes for all three of the components for Molly suggests for these tacos but for ease or lack of a stocked pantry I’d imagine that a simple yogurt sauce and pickled jalapeños on top of the roasted cauliflower would also do nicely.
Molly’s Cauliflower Shawarma Tacos
Makes 8 tacos
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce*
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower florets
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons flavorless oil
8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
Tahini Sauce, to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Preheat the oven 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, garam masala, curry powder, and fish sauce. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat. Spread the cauliflower out on the the baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, 30 to 40 minutes.
Thinly slice three-quarters of the onion. Dice the remaining one-quarter and set aside for topping. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Warm the tortillas on the stove or in the microwave. To assemble, fill them with cauliflower, fried onion, tahini sauce, raw chopped onion, cilantro and zhoug (if using).
*Molly’s recipe uses 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable or chicken broth base but I didn’t have any so I swapped in fish sauce. I think soy sauce would also add a nice umami punch.
Tahini Sauce
Makes 1/2 cup
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Kosher salt and black pepper
In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, water, and lemon juice until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Zhoug
Makes 1 1/2 cups
5 jalapeños, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
In a food processor, combine the jalapeños, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, a few turns of peppers, and the olive oil and blend until it’s the consistency of pesto, adding more olive oil if desired. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or spoon into ice cube trays, freeze, and thaw as needed.
*I cut down on the number of jalapeños and left out the cayenne so I wouldn’t hear my kids complain about the level of heat and also added lemon juice for more zing.
Ooh, this looks great! I look forward to your cookbook list 🙂
Yum! Looks delicious. When is YOUR second cookbook coming out?!
You’re my favorite. Thanks for asking. I’m taking my sweet time but hopefully in a couple years we’ll welcome a brand new book baby. Super super excited about this one.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I posted my picture of these on Instagram with rave reviews. Make these. You won’t be sorry. DELICIOUS
It’s so good! Surprisingly delicious for how easy it is. Glad you found that out too. 🙂
SHAWARMA is my favorite thing EVER!!! SO um, I know I would ADORE THE CRAP out of this recipe!! YUM 😀
hahaha. Yes you will!
I am so curious about the book.
I think you’ll like it. Super fun.
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them out this week 🙂
I love the versatility of cauliflower! I like to roast it with spices and stick the florets in salads or wraps 🙂
Yes! It’s so good and BONUS my kids totally eat it up too.
Just curious? How is this Shawarma? Shawarma is a Levantine dish that literally means a roasted mixed meat…
Sally – I totally hear you. I just was using Molly’s recipe title. No meat in sight and still totally delicious.
How funny!! This is the second time today someone has recommended these tacos from Molly’s book! I suppose I better try them then! They look delicious!! And tacos are such a great and fun interruption to the monotony of big warm delicious bowls of food swirling about this time of year! Excited to try these!
It’s a sign!! I take all taco signs seriously. 🙂
Looks tasty but you either make a shawarma or make a taco you can’t make a “shawarma taco” that’s like trying to make a “cake pie”.
Totally understood – I just kept it how Molly wrote it. Although cake pie sounds delicious.