Cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable. It can be mashed, puréed, steamed, boiled, roasted, fried, pickled or eaten raw. It’s rich in vitamin C and fibre and low in calories, fat and carbs. It’s also really tasty when it’s prepared thoughtfully. I’m going to share a super easy and delicious cauliflower recipe that you can make as a side dish or a meal.
When I saw these colourful cauliflowers at Whole Foods I had to get them. They are simply stunning. My husband was curious to find out whether they tasted any different than the white ones. Eli was disappointed to learn that the purple one didn’t taste like grapes. 🙂 They pretty much taste the same as the white cauliflower, but we do eat with our eyes, so I think it’s safe to say that we enjoyed the colourful cauliflower more.
The first step in this recipe is to steam the cauliflower in a pot filled with 3 or 4 inches of hot water for about 5 minutes. You don’t have to remove the greens before steaming the cauliflower, just cut the base of the cauliflower so that it will sit up straight in the pot. Use a ladle to baste the top of the cauliflower with the hot water from the pot. If you bake cauliflower without steaming or blanching it first, it can get quite dry.
The next step is to carefully remove the cauliflower from the pot of boiling water with tongs and place it on a cutting board. Be careful the cauliflower will be quite hot. You may want to allow the cauliflower to cool down a little before transporting it to a cutting board.
Next, cut the cauliflower into 3/4 inch slices. Spread them out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of the cauliflower steaks with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the cauliflower steaks for 25 to 40 minutes. The cauliflower will caramelize and crisp up if you bake them a little longer.
If you want to make a meal out of cauliflower steaks, I would serve them with some warm hummus or perhaps a lentil dal. We enjoyed them the other night with a spicy red pepper sauce and pistachios, but just about any sauce would work.