Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cauliflower: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil with the paprika, the ground cumin and the ground coriander. Set aside.

Next, begin breaking down the head of cauliflower into 1 1⁄2 to 2-inch pieces: first remove any leaves, then remove the core by using a paring knife and cutting a deep square into the bottom of the cauliflower all around the core and wiggle the core out of the cauliflower. Break or cut the cauliflower into chunks and break those chunks down into smaller florets that are 1 1⁄2 to 2 inch pieces. The goal is to render the cauliflower into pieces of roughly the same size. Add all the cauliflower pieces to a large bowl and toss with the reserved olive oil spice mix. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a few twists of fresh ground black pepper. Spread the pieces out on a sheet pan and roast for about 20 minutes, stirring just once, if you stir often, you will interrupt the even browning process. They are done when they are easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove from oven and set aside to cool – leave them on the sheet pan(s) to cool, so they don’t get mushy.

Romesco sauce: I did not use jarred/canned roasted red peppers, because we have a big fat grill in the Foodie’s Market kitchen, and it was very satisfying to blacken the big, fat red peppers on the grill. They have a wonderful aroma. Having said that, excellent quality roasted red peppers are readily available. And I prefer the ‘jarred’ to the ‘canned’ variety.

If you choose to grill them, wash and dry the peppers and put them on the grill and let them blacken all over. Keep turning them. This may take 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the peppers and the heat of the grill. When done, put all the now black-skinned peppers into a bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap. The peppers will both steam and cool. When cool enough to handle peel away the charred skin. Avoid rinsing the peppers under water as you work, or you will rinse away some of the good flavor. Rather work with a bowl of water and dip your fingers/hands in the water to remove the charred bits from your hands, thereby cleaning the peppers in a gentler manner. Put the pieces of roasted peppers, free of charred skins, core and seeds into the bowl of a food processor.

Toast or char the bread on the grill and tear it into pieces. Moisten the bread with 2 tablespoons each of water and sherry vinegar. Let it sit to absorb the liquids. When ‘spongy’ in about 5 minutes, add it to the food processor. Add most of the toasted almonds to the processor as well but reserve 3 tablespoons for the sandwiches. Add the chopped garlic clove, the smoked paprika and 1⁄4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and

turn on the machine to puree and combine all the ingredients. You should have a nice thick puree. Taste, add more salt and or vinegar to your liking. Add more olive oil to thicken the sauce if you want. And finally add some fresh ground black pepper. Scoop the sauce into a bowl and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to thicken.

Build the wraps:

Gently scoop all the roasted cauliflower into a large bowl, add the parsley leaves, the slivered celery, the chickpeas and the reserved almonds. Toast gently to combine. Taste and season again to your palate. If it seems ‘dry’ add a bit more olive oil.

I like to toast the wraps briefly on a grill or other open flame for a few moments. Keep turning them two or three times, you will see that they puff up and may brown in spots. This is a great technique and gives the wraps a better texture.

Spread a couple of tablespoons of Romesco Sauce on each wrap, leaving a one inch border all around the edges. Lay down a couple pieces of ham if you are using and finally spread a few tablespoons of the cauliflower mix in a two-inch-thick row, off-center, about 1/3rd of the way from the edge. Finally, roll the wrap Tightly. Cut into two pieces. Enjoy with a cool beer or Sangria!