Medium
4 people
60 min
Chef Danilo Cortellini
I remember when I was growing up cauliflower was one of the most horrible things I could have been served for supper by my mother; I simply didn’t like it, like most people to be honest.
Those day are far gone now, there are no respectable restaurant in London that has never had a cauliflower steak on their menu, and when you add tasty Grana Padano cheese to the equation, what seems to be just an alternative to meat for vegetarian people becomes one of the most ordered item of the menu. Delicious!!!!
I know it is the quintessential representation of “the” hipster dish but I couldn’t escape the trend this time, it tastes too good, so here I am with my version of the cheesy cauliflower steak!
Chef’s tip: I would recommend pairing a brut Prosecco DOC with this dish.
Ingredients
2 large cauliflowers
1 small onion chopped
150 g of grated Grana Padano cheese
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch of thyme
2 garlic cloves
20 g of unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Start with slicing the 2 cauliflowers. You need to get 4 slices 3cm thick from the most central part. You could do them horizontally or vertically, but it is important to include the stalk in the middle of each slice. Once you have 4 nice steaks that hold together, use all the trimmings for the puree.
Gently fry the chopped onion in a small casserole dish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile boil the cauliflower trimmings in salted water until soft. Now drain the cauliflower and add them to the onion. Continue to cook for 5 minutes adding a glass of the cooking water.
Now blend with a powerful processor add 4 large spoonfuls of Grana Padano to give body and flavour to the puree. Once smooth, season to taste and keep aside.
Heat up a large non-stick pan and sear the cauliflower steaks with an abundant drizzle of oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden. Lower the heat, add the butter, garlic and thyme and glaze the steaks with the melting butter, as if they were beefsteaks. Remove from the heat being careful not to break them and finish in the oven at 180 degrees for 5 more minutes covering with kitchen foil.
Once the steaks are cooked you can move onto plating the dish.
Spread 1 large spoon of cauliflower puree on each plate, top with the golden steaks and finish with extra grated Grana Padano cheese.
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