Vegetarian Meal: Broiled Cauliflower Steaks With Lemon and Parsley

Tags

cauliflower, coconut milk, gremolata, main course, meatless meal, side dish, vegan, vegetarian, vinaigrette

For those of you following me regularly, you’ll see I’m quite the meat eater. There really isn’t a type of meat I won’t eat. Deer, ostrich, alligator, you name it! But occasionally it’s nice to switch things up with a meatless meal.

As far as vegetarian dishes go, there’s only so much pasta and salad one can eat. Short of tofu, it’s tough to make a hearty meatless meal. That’s where these cauliflower steaks come in! The other fabulous point about these are that they can be either a main course or a side dish.

This is a little bit labor intensive, but really not super difficult and so very worth the work. The vinaigrette and gremolata make this dish, so don’t skip out on it. Enjoy!

Broiled Cauliflower Steaks With Lemon and Parsley

For the cauliflower:
2 large heads of cauliflower
kosher salt
Two 13.5 oz cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp crushed coriander seeds
Fresh grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

Place the first head of cauliflower upright (stem side down) on a flat surface. Using a large knife and imagining that you are creating two large steaks from each head of cauliflower, trim a little off each end so when you split the cauliflower in half, each half will lie flat. Cut the cauliflower in half. You should yield two “steaks,” each weighing about 14-15 oz. Repeat with the other cauliflower head.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a pot large enough to hold the cauliflower steaks. Add salt liberally. Layer a baking sheet with a kitchen towel. Add the cauliflower steaks to the boiling water and cook until they are slightly tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 6 to 8 minutes. Use a large slotted spatula to carefully transfer the steaks to the baking sheet to drain.

In a container large enough to fit the cauliflower snugly, whisk the coconut together with the coriander seeds and a generous pinch of salt. Submerge the steaks in the coconut milk marinade refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

For the vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.

For the Gremolata
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
2 medium cloves garlic, minced

Time to put it all together now!

Remove the cauliflower steaks from the coconut milk marinade and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with salt. Place in the oven and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove cauliflower steaks from the oven and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan-romano cheese. Heat the broiler and place the cauliflower under it for a few minutes, until the top chars.

Transfer the steaks to a serving platter and drizzle liberally with all of the vinaigrette. Top with all of the gremolata. Add a pinch more salt if desired. Serve immediately.

 

Yum!