How to make Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Butternut Squash Puree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019ll use every part of the Cauliflower too so don\u2019t worry; nothing is going to waste with this recipe
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There are four separate cooking techniques to make our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak dish, and they are:
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- Oven Roasting the Butternut Squash and Garlic<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Blitzing the Vegetables to make a Puree<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Pan Frying the Cauliflower Steaks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Glazing and Roasting the Cauliflower Steaks
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<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRoasting the Vegetables to make the Puree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We begin this dish by preparing the Butternut Squash Puree, as this will take the longest to make. First you\u2019ll need to prepare your Butternut Squash. You\u2019ll only need half a Butternut Squash for this recipe, which is typically how they are most sold
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 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
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The Butternut Squash Puree, flavored with Roast Garlic adds a wonderful sweetness and luxury to the dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThen, 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\u2019t discard them. We\u2019ll use that to create a wonderful Vegetable Broth for the dish
<\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce the Squash is peeled, cut it into pieces about 1 \u00bd inches thick. Cut all of the pieces as uniform as you can. This way, they\u2019ll 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPrepare the Garlic Bulb to roast alongside the Butternut Squash<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen wrap the Garlic Bulb in aluminum foil with the top part you\u2019ve 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nRoast 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBlitzing the Vegetables to make a Puree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdd the Squash to your Blender once it has cooled down a bit. It doesn\u2019t need to be room temperature, but you don\u2019t want to add hot ingredients to a blender as there\u2019s a chance the whole thing will end up on your kitchen bench!
<\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe then set aside the Puree in a Saucepan or Microwave safe container until it\u2019s ready to serve. All you\u2019ll need to do is reheat it once the Cauliflower is cooked. Speaking of which..
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The Cauliflower is pan-seared before being glazed and then oven roasted to create its wonderful flavor and color<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nPreparing the Cauliflower Steaks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPlace 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nKeep 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!
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCreating the Harissa Glaze for the Cauliflower Steaks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Combine Harissa Paste, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Coriander Powder, \u00bd tsp. of Salt, and \u00bd tsp. of Lemon Juice into a large bowl and mix well to combine to form the Glaze. We\u2019ve 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nLiberally brush the glaze over one side of your Cauliflower Steaks. Be generous with the brushing, ensuring you\u2019re getting a good coating and covering the florets as well as the stalk
<\/p>\n\n\n\nReplace the Honey with Maple Syrup to make this dish 100% Vegan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s being roasted. Both Honey and Maple Syrup will work great for this process. So, if you\u2019re making this dish Vegan we recommend Maple Syrup as a more than suitable alternative to Honey
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The Harissa and Honey Glaze will bring a vibrant color and sweetness to the dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe final cooking technique to make our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Based on the name of this recipe I\u2019m pretty sure you know what step is next. That\u2019s right! It\u2019s 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe cooking time of the Cauliflower may vary depending on the thickness of your Cauliflower, but it\u2019ll probably take between 8 \u2013 12 minutes. We recommend keeping a close eye on the steaks to check their doneness
<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019re looking for two things with Cauliflower Steaks to tell if they\u2019re completely cooked. First, you want the Glaze to have completely caramelized and started to char the Cauliflower, turning it a rich dark-red color
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 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\u2019s cooked. Once cooked, remove the Steaks from the Oven. They\u2019re best served immediately, so while they are cooking we recommend re-heating your Butternut Squash and Garlic Puree
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPlating the dish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen, 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
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For a crunchy texture we recommend adding chopped Pistachio Nuts to the Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steak right before serving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nAdd Pistachio Nuts to the dish for some much-needed crunch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The flavor our Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Steaks produce is immense. There\u2019s really nothing quite like it. Sweet, Savory, Acid. It\u2019s all there! However, we recommend adding some texture to the dish right before serving
<\/p>\n\n\n\nOur 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
<\/p>\n\n\n\n - Blitzing the Vegetables to make a Puree<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n