Cauliflower Steak
Cauliflower steak (vegan and gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 4oz veggie demi (recipe below)
- 6ea grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2oz Extra virgin olive oil
- 1tsp Roasted garlic pepper (or seasoning of choice)
- 6oz apple craisin almond quinoa (recipe below)
Directions
- Trim leaves off washed cauliflower head.
- Cut a 2” or larger section out of the middle of the cauliflower. Cutting on both sides of the core (the core allows this to become the steak it was meant to be) save the pieces that come off for later.
- Cut the core in half producing 2 steaks. Drizzle these with extra virgin olive oil and season with Roasted garlic pepper.
- Now hopefully you have prepared your veggie demi and quinoa as we are going to get cooking.
- Heat a sauté pan and when it is hot add in your oil, then carefully add your seasoned steak to the pan. You want the pan hot but not on fire. Once the steak has caramelized on the first side flip it and do it again. Now this will produce an al dente steak with some crunch. If you like your steak a little more tender place a lid over the pan after the first flip. If still you need more tenderness you can add a small amount of water towards the end of cooking creating a steam situation that will certainly tenderize your steak.
- Remove your steak from the pan and add your prepared veggie demi to the pan. This will add flavor to your sauce by capturing any juices and fond left behind as well as make it easier to clean your pan.
Veggie demi
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 3 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 5 cloves garlic smashed
- 10 mushrooms smashed
- 1cup cabbage
- 1 cup cauliflower trimmings
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 gallon water
- 3 sheets nori seaweed
- Cornstarch to thicken
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz sweet soy (can be purchased at Asian markets or make at home recipe to follow)
- Olive oil to coat veggies
Directions
- Slice all vegetables very thin. The better job you do here the better your stock will be. The key is a consistent size throughout as everything will roast and develop flavors more evenly.
- Toss veggies with a small amount of olive oil to coat. Place on a sheet pan or roasting pan in a consistent layer.
- Roast in a 400f oven. Check every 15 minutes and stir and redistribute the veggies. As the veggies get closer to being done check more frequently. You want a deep dark color even a few crispy and or slightly burnt edges are just fine, you are building flavor. If some veggies seem done while others are not feel free to remove them and keep roasting the rest.
- Now that your veggies are roasted add them to your stock pot. Now deglaze your roasting pan with 1 quart of your water. Stir it, scrape it, get all that lovely flavor that your pan is trying to keep from you. If you need put your pan over the heat and keep going at it until you get all you can. I do suggest a wooden spoon as metal spoons you can dig into the metal and we don’t want to eat the pan. We just don’t want the pan to steal our flavor. And in doing this your roasting pan will be easier to clean.
- Add this newly acquired deliciousness to you stock pot. Add the rest of the cold water, the sheets of nori, and heat it up. You only want to simmer this not boil.
- Simmer for approx. 45min
- Carefully strain out the veggies. Return stock to stock pot return to heat. Discard or compost veggies.
- Add sweet soy. Taste. Adjust seasoning.
- Bring to a boil and thicken slightly with cornstarch.
Sweet soy sauce
Ingredients
- 6oz brown sugar
- 4oz Tamari or other soy sauce
Directions
- Put in pan and bring to a boil, be careful this will boil over and make a mess if not watched.
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Cool and use. This lasts forever in a sealed container. I love it on pan seared green beans
Apple Almond Craisin Quinoa
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups quinoa
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 apples diced
- ½ cup almonds
- ½ cup craisins
- 1 tbsn olive oil
- 1 small can apple juice
Directions
- Combine quinoa, water, and salt cook over medium heat until water is absorbed, and quinoa is tender.
- In a hot sauté pan add olive oil, apples, and craisins and cook until apples start to get cooked and only slightly tender. Add apple juice and cook until reduced au sec.
- Toss apple craisin mixture with quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- At this point you could also add your almonds, at the restaurant we add the almonds one plate at a time in the instance that our guests have a nut allergy.
- To Plate: Pile up your quinoa in the middle of your plate, surround it with the grape tomatoes. Place steak against the quinoa. Then pour sauce around the whole thing as well as a little on the steak. Dig in and enjoy!
