Cauliflower Steak

A few weeks ago, Peter and I went to a new-ish restaurant in town called Restaurant 415. We really loved the food and the service was impeccable, especially considering we had a rambunctious baby with us. They have lots of small plates at very affordable prices and some interesting entrees. Their menu is very fresh and they are friendly to people with all sorts of special food needs. I ordered the cauliflower steaks as my main dish and I have to say it was delicious. I never thought you could cook cauliflower in such a nice way to make it a main. It wasn’t heavy but the flavors were quite complex and the whole experience was very satisfying. Since then I’ve really wanted to reproduce the dish, and this is my first try. It turned out amazing!

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower head (Serves 2-3)
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Sauce

• Olive Oil
• 1/2 onion coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
• 1 8 or 12oz  jar of roasted pimentos coarsely chopped
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (roasted are better)
• Hot pepper flakes
• Salt & Pepper

Relish

• 1 cup of black olives (pitted) finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup roasted pimento finely chopped
• A handful of parsley finely chopped
• 1 lemon
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (I used one of those baking sheets that has a lip to contain the smaller florets).
3. Trim the leaves and the stem of the cauliflower but leave the core intact.
4. Place the cauliflower core-side-down on a cutting board and with a sharp knife cut 2/3 inch wide “steaks”. It works better if you cut starting from the center and going to the sides. You will be able to get about 4 good steaks from one head. Take the largest the florets that are left and slice them in half to make the chunks thinner.
5. Gather the smaller florets and chop them very finely to make about 1/2 cup. Set aside.
6. In a large skillet heat up some olive oil and carefully brown both sides of the “steaks”. Works better if you do one or two steaks at a time and use a large spatula to flip them so they don’t break.  They’re pretty sturdy, but be gentle after they heat through.
7. Once they are browned a bit on both sides place them in the baking sheet, salt and pepper to taste. I also did the same thing for the larger florets. Then put the baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes to finish roasting them. The cauliflower will turn softer and get that delicious sweet-nutty roasted taste.
8. While the cauliflower is roasting sauté chopped onion and garlic until fragrant.  Add the pimentos and sauté for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes. Simmer gently for a few minutes so the flavors will meld. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.  Use an immersion blender, a food processor or a blender to puree until smooth (although you might light it a bit chunky).
9. In a separate bowl mix olives, chopped pimentos, raw cauliflower florets and parsley. Juice the lemon over it and add some olive oil, mix well and salt & pepper to taste.
10. To serve, ladle some of the sauce on a plate, place one of the steaks and some of the extra florets on it and top with some of the relish.

Notes:

*Even if your steaks fall apart during the process, they will taste AMAZING, so don’t get discouraged.

**To get nice “steaks” use a SHARP knife.

***Serve with couscous, or rice on the side. This particular presentation is served with Lundberg brand Mediterranean Rice Couscous.