Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Butternut Squash Puree

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This fantastic dish is a celebration of vegetables, and the immense amount of flavor they bring to a dish. The combination of flavors and spices in this wonderful Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak recipe are immense, and it is easily one of the most flavorful bites of food you can eat. This is a fun recipe to make when you’re feeling creative with your cooking techniques. There are no less than 4 separate cooking techniques to make this wonderful dish. All are easy to do, so why not have some fun with some great Vegetarian cooking today!

How to make Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Butternut Squash Puree

The hero of this dish is, of course, the Cauliflower. You want to get your hands on a big head of Cauliflower. The largest one at the grocery store is the one with your name on it for this dish! We’ll use every part of the Cauliflower too so don’t worry; nothing is going to waste with this recipe

There are four separate cooking techniques to make our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak dish, and they are:

• Oven Roasting the Butternut Squash and Garlic
• Blitzing the Vegetables to make a Puree
• Pan Frying the Cauliflower Steaks
• Glazing and Roasting the Cauliflower Steaks
  
  

Roasting the Vegetables to make the Puree

We begin this dish by preparing the Butternut Squash Puree, as this will take the longest to make. First you’ll need to prepare your Butternut Squash. You’ll only need half a Butternut Squash for this recipe, which is typically how they are most sold

The Squash will come with its skin on and seeds intact. You will need to remove the skin and seeds. First, scoop out the seeds and that fibrous flesh from the Squash and discard. To peel the skin, it is easiest to cut the Squash in half, so you have a flat surface to work off. This is much safer

Then, with a sharp knife, cut down the sides of the Squash to remove the skin. Try to cut as close to the skin as you can to retain as much of the flesh as possible. Keep hold of the Skin though and don’t discard them. We’ll use that to create a wonderful Vegetable Broth for the dish

Once the Squash is peeled, cut it into pieces about 1 ½ inches thick. Cut all of the pieces as uniform as you can. This way, they’ll all roast at the same time in the Oven. Place the pieces on a large sheet pan and season well with Olive Oil and Salt

Prepare the Garlic Bulb to roast alongside the Butternut Squash

Adding Garlic into Vegetable Soups and Purees has been a recent revelation of ours. The amount of flavor a roasted Garlic can bring to a dish is outstanding. Preparing them for roasting is really easy too! First, cut off the top section of the Garlic to reveal the inner flesh

Then wrap the Garlic Bulb in aluminum foil with the top part you’ve just cut off exposed. Pour in a little bit of Olive Oli (about 1 tsp.) and a sprinkle of Salt. Seal it all up, then place it onto a sheet pan alongside your Squash

Roast the Vegetables in the oven for about 50 minutes at 375F until the Squash is lovely and tender and has just started to caramelize. At this point, remove from the Oven and set aside to cool a little bit before we move onto the next step

Blitzing the Vegetables to make a Puree

The second cooking technique in our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak is Pureeing. We add the Squash and Garlic to a blender along with some Vegetable Stock and blitz everything up to form a beautiful Puree

Add the Squash to your Blender once it has cooled down a bit. It doesn’t need to be room temperature, but you don’t want to add hot ingredients to a blender as there’s a chance the whole thing will end up on your kitchen bench!

Once cooled, peel the Garlic skin away and discard, adding the Garlic flesh to the Blender along with the Squash. You can add additional spices to the Blender at this point if you like, however we have found that the richness that the roasted Squash and Garlic bring to the Puree is already so flavorful. All it needs is a bit of Salt

We recommend adding 1 cup of the Vegetable Stock first and then blitz. You will need some liquid in a blender to get things going, however the last thing you want is to add too much liquid at once. Check the consistency of your Puree after blitzing it for about 30 seconds. Taste for seasoning too and adjust for flavor and consistency as needed

We then set aside the Puree in a Saucepan or Microwave safe container until it’s ready to serve. All you’ll need to do is reheat it once the Cauliflower is cooked. Speaking of which..

Preparing the Cauliflower Steaks

There are two cooking techniques used to make the perfect Cauliflower Steaks. Those are searing, and roasting. The Searing process is a key step in getting that lovely char on the outside of the Steak. We are, in a way, cooking the Cauliflower in a similar form to how you would a Beef Steak

First things first. You want to cut the Cauliflower into 2 large Steaks. The best (well, the only) place to get Cauliflower Steaks is in the center of the Cauliflower Head. Trim any excess leaves from the Cauliflower and discard. Then, place the Cauliflower stalk side down on a cutting board

Place your knife right in the center, then move it about 1 inch to the left and make a cut right through the center. Move the knife back to center and make the second cut. Finally, move the knife one inch to the right for the final cut

This will yield two center cut Cauliflower Steaks perfect for Pan Searing and Roasting. Season the Steaks generously on both sides with Salt and then place them into a hot pan with 1 tbsp. of Unsalted Butter. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until lightly charred and browned. Set aside once done

Keep the remaining Cauliflower pieces. They will be enough to create an awesome Roasted Cauliflower and Parmesan Cheese appetizer (recipe coming soon) that goes perfectly with this dish, as well as many, many others!

Creating the Harissa Glaze for the Cauliflower Steaks

Combine Harissa Paste, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander Powder, ½ tsp. of Salt, and ½ tsp. of Lemon Juice into a large bowl and mix well to combine to form the Glaze. We’ve found the best way to mix sticky sauces such as this is not with a knife, spoon, or fork, but with chopsticks! Nothing will get stuck on the chopsticks, making it a much more efficient and cleaner way to mix

Liberally brush the glaze over one side of your Cauliflower Steaks. Be generous with the brushing, ensuring you’re getting a good coating and covering the florets as well as the stalk

Replace the Honey with Maple Syrup to make this dish 100% Vegan

If you are looking to make this recipe Vegan, you can replace the Honey with Maple Syrup. What we are looking for in the glaze is a sweet, sugary flavor that will caramelize the Cauliflower once it’s being roasted. Both Honey and Maple Syrup will work great for this process. So, if you’re making this dish Vegan we recommend Maple Syrup as a more than suitable alternative to Honey

The final cooking technique to make our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak

Based on the name of this recipe I’m pretty sure you know what step is next. That’s right! It’s time to roast those Harissa Glazed Cauliflower Steaks. Crank the temperature of your oven to 400F and, once hot place the Steaks in the center of the Oven on a large sheet pan

The cooking time of the Cauliflower may vary depending on the thickness of your Cauliflower, but it’ll probably take between 8 – 12 minutes. We recommend keeping a close eye on the steaks to check their doneness

You’re looking for two things with Cauliflower Steaks to tell if they’re completely cooked. First, you want the Glaze to have completely caramelized and started to char the Cauliflower, turning it a rich dark-red color

The second step to tell if the Cauliflower is completely cooked is to stab the Stalk of the Cauliflower with a knife. If there is little resistance to the knife, it’s cooked. Once cooked, remove the Steaks from the Oven. They’re best served immediately, so while they are cooking we recommend re-heating your Butternut Squash and Garlic Puree

Plating the dish

To plate the Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steaks, first place a generous amount of the Cauliflower Puree on a large plate. Move the plate around a little bit with your hands to help the Puree relax into the plate, like how you would a Risotto

Then, carefully place a Cauliflower Steak straight on top of the Puree. Finish the dish with some freshly chopped Chives, some Flaky Salt, and a generous Squeeze of Lemon Juice. The acid from the Lemon Juice will brighten up the dish, and allow all those wonderful flavors to sing

Add Pistachio Nuts to the dish for some much-needed crunch

The flavor our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steaks produce is immense. There’s really nothing quite like it. Sweet, Savory, Acid. It’s all there! However, we recommend adding some texture to the dish right before serving

Our preferred texture option for this dish is Pistachio Nuts. They add a lovely flavor to the dish as well as some much-needed texture. They look beautiful on the plate too with their bright green colors really popping through the rich oranges and red from the Puree and Harissa. You can use other types of nuts if you like such as Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, or Cashew nuts

Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak Recipe

Ingredients

1. Peel and deseed the Butternut Squash and then cut into pieces 1 ½ inches thick. Place on a large sheet pan and season with 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil and 2 tsp. of Salt
2. Cut the top off the Garlic Bulb then wrap in foil, leaving the top part exposed. Pour ½ tsp of Olive Oil into the Garlic along with a pinch of Salt. Seal then add it to sheet pan with Squash. Roast in the oven preheated to 375F for 50 minutes until the Squash is tender and starting to caramelize
3. Remove Vegetables from the Oven and allow to cool slightly. Once cool, peel the Garlic skin off and retain the flesh. Add to a Blender along with the Butternut Squash, 1 cup of Vegetable Stock, and 1 tsp. of Salt
4. Blitz for 30 seconds until a thick puree forms. If the Puree is too thick, add more Vegetable Stock and blitz until the desired consistency is reached. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Por into a Saucepan or Microwave safe container and set aside
   
   

Preparing the Cauliflower Steaks

5. Trim the Cauliflower then place stem-side down on a chopping board. Cut two steaks straight down the center of the Cauliflower, each about 1 inch in thickness. Season the Steaks with Salt
6. Melt Butter in a large frying pan over medium / high heat. Once melted, add the Steaks and sear for 3 minutes on each side until lightly charred. Remove from heat and set aside
7. Make the Harissa Glaze by combining Honey (or Maple Syrup), Harissa, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander Powder, ½ tsp. of Lemon, and ½ tsp. of Salt in a small bowl. Mix well to combine, then generously brush onto one side of the Cauliflower Steaks
8. Place the Cauliflower Steaks, glaze-side-up, on a sheet pan and then bake in the Oven at 400F for 10 – 12 minutes, until caramelized a dark-red color and tender. Check for doneness by poking a knife into the Cauliflower Steam. If there is little resistance, it is cooked
   
   

Plating the Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

9. Re-heat your Butternut Squash Puree and add a generous amount to the base of a plate. Move the plate around a bit to help the Puree relax, then place a Cauliflower Steak on top
10. Finish the plates by sprinkling over some Flaky Salt, freshly chopped Chives and chopped Pistachio nuts. Add a squeeze of Lemon Juice and serve immediately
    
    

Recipe Notes

You can use the Squash Skin to make Vegetable Broth. Simply add them to a pot filled with 2 cups of Water along with 1 Carrot and 1 Celery Stalk. Cover and boil for 30 minutes. Strain, then you can use the Stock in the Puree

Our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Butternut Squash Puree is a hearty, fulfilling Vegetarian dish that won’t leave anyone going hungry at the dinner table. It also looks stunning on the plate, so have some fun with your plating and show us on Pinterest and Instagram how it went?

If you’re looking for even more delicious Vegetarian recipes, here are a few of our favorites that we recommend:

• Roast Vegetable Lentil Salad
• Grits and Mushroom Dinner
• Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry
• Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella
  
  

Happy Cooking!