Recipe

April 5, 2019

Cauliflower Steaks With Lemon Salsa Verde

Recipe: Jeanine Donofrio

Try this Cauliflower Steaks With Lemon Salsa Verde recipe from the cookbook Love & Lemons Every Day.

Love & Lemons Everyday Cauliflower is so versatile, and I love how this recipe uses the cauliflower from floret to core. The “steaks” are cut from the middle section, where the core holds the slabs together. The remaining florets are used to make a creamy purée. It’s a warm, hearty dish that gets a pop from the bright preserved lemon salsa verde on top.

Ingredients

Cauliflower

  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water, plus more as needed
  • Lemon zest, for garnish (optional)

Lemon Salsa Verde

  • 3 tbsp diced Quick Preserved Lemons (page 279)
  • 1⁄4 cup finely chopped parsley or basil
  • 2 tsp capers
  • 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 1⁄4 tsp red pepper flakes and/or 1 tiny red chile pepper, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Yield: Serves 4

Make The Cauliflower Steaks

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Remove the coarse outer leaves of the cauliflower, then slice 4 (1-inch-thick) “steaks” from the middle of the cauliflower, keeping the core intact. This helps hold the steaks together. Place the steaks on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and rub liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the core is fork-tender.
  3. Break the remainder of the cauliflower into florets (about 2 cups) and bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and the garlic cloves and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fork-tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the florets and garlic to a high- speed blender. Let cool slightly, and then add the olive oil, miso paste, lemon juice and water. Purée the mixture, using the blender baton to help keep the blade moving or pausing to stir as necessary. If needed, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water to create a smooth purée. Season to taste.

Make The Salsa Verde

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the preserved lemons, parsley, capers, pine nuts, red pepper flakes and pinches of salt and pepper. Stir in the olive oil.
  2. Assemble each plate with a scoop of the cauliflower purée and a cauliflower steak. Top with the lemon salsa verde and garnish with the lemon zest, if desired. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and serve.
Photographer:

Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews

Source:

Excerpted from Love and Lemons Every Day: More than 100 Bright, Plant-Forward Recipes for Every Meal by Jeanine Donofrio. Copyright © 2019 Jeanine Donofrio. Photographs © 2019 by Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.