Recipe: Cauliflower steaks with tahini cauliflower purée, walnuts, capers and golden raisins

This zesty plant-based dish from Green Dinner Table can be served as a satisfying main or a great addition to tapas-style sharing plates.

The ingredients are simple and forking out for the high-quality walnuts, olive oil and tahini will pay dividends in flavour. Serves two mains.

Ingredients:
  • 2 lemons
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • 60g capers
  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 80g tahini
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • Salt, to taste
  • 80g Canterbury walnuts
  • 80g golden raisins
  • 1 ½ Tbsp vinegar
  • 10g mint
  • 10g parsley

Method:

  1. Heat the oven to 180 °C. Zest the lemons and set aside.
  2. Heat some oil in a pan. Pat the capers dry and fry until crispy, about one minute. Pour the oil and capers into a bowl and allow to cool.
  3. We want to get two ‘steaks’ from one cauliflower. Trim the outer leaves off the cauliflower (a few soft inner leaves are fine). Carefully cut the cauliflower in half, top to bottom through the base to create two even pieces. Trim the outside off to create steaks 2 to 3cm thick. Coarsely chop the outside florets.
  4. Boil the florets for 10 to 12 minutes, until fully cooked. Strain and mix with tahini, garlic, lemon juice (keep the lemon halves) and a pinch of salt. Blend into a smooth purée. Taste and add more salt as needed.
  5. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Fry the cauliflower steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add salt while cooking. Finish in the oven (with the lemon halves) for 8 to 10 minutes, until just cooked. Once cooked, sprinkle over with lemon zest.
  6. Mix the capers, walnuts, raisins and vinegar together to create a salsa.
  7. Serve steaks on top of the purée, with salsa. Sprinkle ripped mint and parsley leaves, and squeeze extra roasted lemon over the steaks.

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Recipe: Cauliflower steaks with tahini cauliflower purée, walnuts, capers and golden raisins