Cauliflower Zahlouk

1 large cauliflower (largest you can find), cut into small florets
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 strip fresh lemon peel
1/8 lb green beans (I use a fist full of haricot verts), cut into 1/2 inch dice
3/4 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp oil cured black olives, roughly chopped
3/4 cup – 1 cup charmoula dressing, thinned with lemon juice

Charmoula Dressing (makes 1 cup)
1/8 cup lemon juice, plus 1 Tbsp
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil, plus some extra if needed
salt & pepper

Place the cauliflower florets, whole garlic cloves and lemon peel in a steamer and steam until just tender (not too mushy), about 6-7 minutes. Remove from pan. Add green beans to steamer and cook until just tender (still having a slight crunch).

While the cauliflower is steaming, prepare the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt & pepper in a bowl. Stir in the parsley, cilantro and olive oil. Set aside.

Place the cauliflower and garlic cloves in a large bowl and mash coarsely. I still like for many of the florets to stay intact, so be gentle. Add the green beans and stir in most of the charmoula dressing. (I say “most” because you really don’t want this to swim in the dressing and that really hinges on how large the cauliflower is, which will differ from one person to the next.) Gently fold in the chick peas and olives.

Dressing should lightly coat all the ingredients. If you feel you need a touch more dressing, add it. You can also add more olive oil if needed as well.