Cauliflower steaks with agrodolce, puree, greens and toasted hazelnuts
Serves 4-6
Agrodolce
1 large onion or 3-4 shallots
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
50g raisins
50g capers
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Cauliflower steaks
2 medium-sized cauliflower
Puree
Cauliflower trimmings (left from cutting the cauliflower ‘steaks’)
2 garlic cloves, bashed and peeled
1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil
Stir-fried greens
Cauliflower greens from 1-2 heads of cauliflower
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
To finish
50g toasted hazelnuts
A handful of freshly chopped chives
A trickle of rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Thinly slice your onions or shallots and set a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the rapeseed oil and onion or shallots to the warm pan with a pinch of salt. Gently cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the onions or shallots are meltingly tender and mildly sweet from the natural sugars slowly caramelising.
While the onions or shallots cook, prepare your cauliflower. Trim off the greens, wash well and thinly shred. Set aside for later.
Cut the cauliflower down the centre, giving you two identical halves. Slice a 2cm-thick ‘steak’ from either side of the centre and keep going toward the edge, if you can, slicing further panels off to cook as steaks. Save the trimmings for the puree. Season the steak with salt and pepper and set aside.
Roughly chop all the cauliflower trimmings and bundle into a saucepan with the peeled bashed garlic cloves. Add enough water to just cover. Season with salt and pepper. Pop a lid on and cook gently for 10 minutes or until tender enough to create a smooth puree. Drain off any excess cooking water but save it.
Puree the gently cooked cauliflower trimmings with the rapeseed oil, starting with 1 tablespoon and adding more, to taste, if needed. Trickle in some of the cooking water, too, if needed to get a smooth, creamy puree. Season to taste.
Place a large frying pan over high heat for the cauliflower steaks. Once the pan is smoking hot, add the steaks (no oil needed), lower the heat a little and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until nicely caramelised and just tender.
Set a separate pan over medium heat for the greens. Once hot, add the oil, shredded cauliflower greens and chopped garlic. Season well and stir fry until bright green and just tender.
Once everything is cooked, spoon a mound of warm cauliflower puree between each plate. Top with a cauliflower steak. Place a mound of sauteed greens on the side. Dot the agrodolce over the top. Finish with a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts, chopped chives and a trickle of oil.
For more River Cottage cauliflower recipes, click here
For more inspiration from our Executive Chef Gelf Alderson, follow him on Instagram @gelfalderson
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We all know we should eat more vegetables and plant-based food for our health and for the health of the planet. So how do you make sure they are always delicious?
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall teaches you how make delicious veg dishes and how to be more creative using veg in your cooking.
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