Cauliflower Steak with Chickpea Hummus and Chimichurri
Ingredients:
- 1 large cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Fine sea salt and freshly-ground pepper
- 140g chickpea hummus
For the Chimichurri:
- 40g pine nuts, toasted
- handful, chopped fresh mint
- handful, chopped coriander
- handful, chopped fresh parsley
- 2 small cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 5 tbsp of rapeseed oil
- 2 small chilies, de-seeded and finely diced
Method:
- Preheat the oven at 180C.
- Cut the cauliflower. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cauliflower, leaving any soft and tender centre leaves intact.
- Trim the stem to create a flat base, then stand the cauliflower upright on the base and use a large knife to slice the cauliflower vertically in half (leaving the stem intact).
- Trim the outer rounded edge of each piece to create two 1.5-inch-thick cauliflower steaks, and save the remaining florets for a garnish or another use.
- Prepare the cauliflower. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few twists of freshly-ground black pepper
- Cook the cauliflower. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower steaks, oiled-side-down, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the steaks are golden brown on the bottom.
- Brush the remaining oil on the tops of the steaks, then carefully flip them over.
- Transfer the entire skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the stems are fork-tender, then remove from the oven.
For the Chimichurri:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and stir. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release all of the flavours into the oil before using. Ideally, let it sit for more than 2 hours, if time allows or the day before.
Time to serve: Use a spoon to spread 1/3 the of hummus onto each serving plate. Top with the cauliflower steak, half of the chimichurri mixture and a drizzle of rapeseed oil, an extra twist of black pepper, and serve.
Tip: The cauliflower leaves can be coated also with the spices and cooked in oven at the same time as the steak and used as a garnsih for the cauliflower steak.
Once cool, mix the Brussel sprouts with the salad leaves, add all the dressing from the sprouts pan. Pile into a salad bowl and top with the toasted hazelnuts and toasted breadcrumbs just before serving.
Enjoy!
