Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce

So… it’s almost Valentines Day and (big news!), we finally took our Christmas tree down. Yes, that’s right, we are “those people.” Christmas in July would have totally been our reality if my mom hadn’t come to visit this past weekend, because when mom’s here, things around the house get done.

But back to the Valentines’ Day thing – it’s my favorite holiday. It doesn’t involve putting up (or taking down) decorations, which works well for us. We don’t do anything over the top, but we enjoy spending time making dinner together.

I love this recipe as a vegetarian main course option. It’s not a side salad trying to be a meal, there’s no fake meat and who knew a slab of cauliflower can be so filling?

Underneath the cauliflower is a tangy romesco-like sauce. I changed around my go-to romesco recipe to be just a tad healthier – it uses a little less oil and I uses chickpeas to thicken the sauce instead of bread. If you don’t have a lot of time to put this together, the sauce can be made at least a day in advance.

Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce

 

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Recipe type: main course

Serves: serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 1-inch thick cauliflower “steaks” from 1 medium cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or other high-heat oil)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon golden raisins
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest

Romesco Sauce: (this makes extra)

• 2 roasted red bells peppers, fresh or from a jar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup cooked chickpeas (or 1 slice ciabatta bread, for thickening)
• ¼ cup toasted hazelnuts
• ¼ cup blanched almonds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the Romesco Sauce: In a blender, combine the red peppers, tomato paste, water, vinegar, chickpeas, hazelnuts, almonds, garlic, paprika, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Season to taste.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut two 1-inch thick slices from the cauliflower, keeping the core intact. Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan. Place the cauliflower steaks into the pan and gently press them down. Lightly brush the top of the steaks with a little more oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sear for 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown, then transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender but firm.
3. Spread two plates with romesco sauce and top each with a cauliflower steak. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, pine nuts, golden raisins, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Store extra romesco sauce in the fridge for up to 4 days. Slather it on sandwiches or use as a veggie dip.

The tabletop items in this post were kindly provided by Anthropologie.
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