Cauliflower steak. Cauliflower steak? Cauliflower steak???
I remember reading that on a menu at a high-end restaurant and thought “what the heck is that?” As the curious consumer and then-vegetarian, it piqued my curiosity so I asked the server who kindly explained it was, in fact, cauliflower, a thick slice of the brainy white vegetable marinated and grilled. I said, “what the heck”, much to the dismay of my dinner companions. We were in Texas at the time, perhaps not the best place for vegetarian fare. When it arrived, I was quite intrigued and satisfied with it. It, by no means, compared to the taste or texture of a beef steak but it was a fun alternative.
Since then I’ve tried a curried version of my own which had a nice Tandoori-ish appeal. Another time I had some Chipotle seasonings and the making for some Tex-Mex rice and beans to accompany it so I went Southwest with the flavor. This gave it a rich, hardy, zippy finish to the usually bland crucifera. This recipe is for a Mediterranean version that incorporates garlic roasted chickpeas for protein and a tomato basil sauce. As you can probably tell, this is a versatile dish where you can change up the flavor profile depending on your taste.
So take a chance yourself and try a new kind of “steak”.
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Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower leaves removed, core intact
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Onion chopped
- 1 14.5oz can Tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 Garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Pitted black olives
- 1 cup garlic roasted chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons Basil chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
- Cut the cauliflower into 4 large slices, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Cook the cauliflower slices until golden brown on each side.
- Place the cauliflower slices onto a baking sheet lined tray and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve with tomato sauce.
- While cauliflower steaks are in the oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat
- Add onion and sauté until translucent
- Add garlic and sauté until fragrant
- Add tomatoes and increase heat until slight boil then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add olives, chickpeas and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Serve with cauliflower steaks and garnish with basil
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Serves 2