These spiced cauliflower steaks on green dip steal the show at any dinner party but are super simple for a mid-week dinner too.

Recipe: Extract from Eat Green by Melissa Hemsley  Photo: Philippa Langley

If you want to get ahead, the dip and slaw can be made in advance. Dress the slaw while you’re cooking the cauliflower. You’ll want to try the chermoula-esque spice mix on everything, or you could fry it with onion for the base of a pumpkin soup.

Serves: 2, with leftovers
Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 medium cauliflower, save the leaves (about 800g)
2 tbsp ghee or oil
sea salt and black pepper
Chermoula spice mix
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
chilli flakes or ¼ tsp cayenne, to taste

Herby bean dip
240g cooked white beans or chickpeas (1 × 400g tin, drained and rinsed)
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp tahini
juice of 1 lemon
1 big handful of a mix of fresh parsley and coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped separately
extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Slaw
¼ red cabbage (150g), finely shredded
1 green apple, cut into matchsticks
1 celery stick and leaves, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard

METHOD

Preheat the oven to fan 220°C. Slice two 2–3cm thick steaks off the cauliflower and roughly chop the remaining cauliflower florets and the leaves – keep them separate. Mix all the ingredients for the chermoula spice mix.

Put the cauliflower florets in a roasting tray with 1 tbsp of the ghee or oil, half of the chermoula spice mix, sea salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower leaves halfway through and toss everything together.

Melt the remaining ghee or oil in a large frying pan and fry the cauliflower steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Add the remaining spice mix and carefully turn again, coating the steaks in the spice. Cook for a further 2 minutes until just tender. Pop in the oven to keep warm.

Mix all the slaw ingredients together with the parsley and coriander leaves in a medium bowl and season to taste. Blitz all the dip ingredients in a food processor with the parsley and coriander stems and taste for seasoning. Add 2-4 tbsp of cold water and keep blitzing until nice and thick.

Divide the green bean dip between the plates, drizzle with olive oil and top with a hot cauliflower steak, florets, and leaves. Serve the slaw on top or on the side.

---

Extracted from Eat Green by Melissa Hemsley, published by Random House UK, RRP $50.00. Copyright © Melissa Hemsley 2020. Photography © Philippa Langley 2020

Love this story? Subscribe now!