How to Make a Cauliflower Steak That's Truly Next-Level - By Yotam Ottolenghi 🌞

[justaprogressive]

When I started writing recipes more than a decade ago, the humble cauliflower needed a fair amount of flag-waving. Nowadays it’s been claimed as much by those who like to grate things raw as by those who like to chargrill things hot. Cauliflower tabbouleh, cauliflower rice, whole-roasted cauliflower, cauliflower fritters and soups and purées—this is a bandwagon I’m very happy to be on board. I particularly love cauliflower steaks: Their texture is meaty enough to really satisfy, but, at the same time, the flavor is not so dominant that you can’t have a lot of fun with a punchy sauce (see Walnut-Caper Salsa) or a creamy accompaniment like this Cauliflower Purée. Or—my preference—both.

1. The Steaks

These always look beautiful, especially if they still have some of their inner leaves, which char so well. For a quick supper at home, I often just eat a couple of the steaks, either seared as outlined here or cooked in a grill pan (if I want some nice black lines) before finishing them off in the oven. Then I simply enjoy them with a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of tahini sauce and a sprinkle of toasted nuts.


2. The Purée

After slicing the steaks, I’m usually left with a bunch of cauliflower trimmings. While I could save these for a salad or snack, I like the sense of completion you get by using the whole of something in just one dish. This thinking led me to the purée.

Mashed cauliflower can be nice as is, but it lacks the rich creaminess I want in my purée. It’s a very short, logical step in my mind from “rich creaminess” to tahini, so reaching for a tub at this stage seems pretty knee-jerk. More often than not, I’ll spoon tahini over the top of wedges of roasted eggplant or butternut squash, but in this case, there’s enough richness in the steaks (thank you, butter) to allow the tahini to be more of a back note.

The mash is good enough to eat on its own, so save any leftovers: It keeps in the fridge for a couple of days and can be either eaten as is—on toast or as an alternative to hummus—or warmed through and served with sausages.

3. The Salsa

The creamy cauliflower-tahini purée calls out for color, freshness, acidity, and crunch. My solution: coarsely chopped parsley, a splash of sherry vinegar, a sprinkling of fried capers, and a handful of toasted walnuts, all mixed together in a simple salsa to be spooned on top. A final burst of sweetness is the last note asking to be added. That’s where dried currants come in, bringing the whole thing together.

The combination of the salsa, the cauliflower steaks, and the purée reminds me how far this vegetable has come from being in need of championing. It’s now waving the flag all by itself.

You will have more than enough of the cauliflower purée and the salsa. Use the leftovers as a dip or swirl into vegetable soups.

Serves 2

SALSA

⅓ cup walnuts
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp drained capers, patted dry
1 Fresno chili, seeds removed, finely chopped
3 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley
1 tbsp dried currants
1 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt
CAULIFLOWER AND ASSEMBLY
1 small head of cauliflower
Kosher salt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 sprigs oregano
2 3-inch strips lemon zest
Lemon wedges (for serving)

SALSA

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°.
Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 7–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 425° for roasting cauliflower.

Step 2
Heat oil and capers in a small saucepan over medium, swirling often, until capers burst and are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Carefully pour oil and capers into a small heatproof bowl; let cool.

Step 3
Mix in walnuts, chile, parsley, currants, vinegar, and lemon zest; season with salt.

Step 4
Do Ahead: Salsa can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic, pressing directly onto surface and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

CAULIFLOWER AND ASSEMBLY

Step 5
Remove only the toughest outer leaves from cauliflower (leave on any tender inner leaves). Trim stem to create a flat base. Resting cauliflower on stem, cut in half from top to bottom, creating two lobes with stem attached. Trim outer rounded edge of each piece to create two 1½”-thick “steaks” (the stem should hold the florets together); set steaks aside. Very coarsely chop remaining florets.

Step 6
Cook florets in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until very tender, 6–8 minutes. Drain well, then process in a food processor with garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and 1 Tbsp. water until smooth; season with salt. Set aside.

Step 7
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add butter and swirl until melted, then add cauliflower steaks, oregano, and lemon zest. Cook, gently lifting up cauliflower occasionally to let hot fat run underneath, until steaks are deep golden brown (if oregano or lemon start to burn, place on top of steaks). Turn steaks and season with salt. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until cauliflower stems are fork-tender, 10–15 minutes.

Step 8
To serve, spoon about ⅓ cup cauliflower purée onto plates and place steaks on top. Spoon salsa over and sprinkle with salt. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Step 9
Do Ahead: Purée can be made 3 days ahead. Cover with plastic, pressing directly onto surface, and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

https://tastetickler.com/2022/01/03/cauliflower-steaks-and-puree-with-walnut-caper-salsa/


Enjoy!

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Sounds Good!

I've made cauliflower steaks a few times. We both liked them.
I liked the idea of the puree with Tahiti.
The only thing I didn't like was the appearance.
It needs something red or yellow (sautéed bell peppers?) because it's pretty dull looking.
I've found that soy sauce & cauliflower play well together & that right amount of salt is critical.

[justaprogressive]

2. there is a red Fresno Chile in the recipe

perhaps more could be added....

[ProfessorGAC]

3. I Guess So, Because...

...I'm not seeing the red in the dish.
Of course, it's a personal preference. I always want some red in my cooking.

[La Coliniere]

4. Thanks for posting this. Looks delicious.

I’m going to try this recipe as an alternative to simply air frying cauliflower florets.

[justaprogressive]

5. The browning

really adds to the flavor!