France’s Grilled Cauliflower Steak with Smoked Tomato Sauce

4 People
60 min.
intermediate

With a smoky tomato sauce, spiced up with Robertsons Paprika, this veggie dish is a treat for the eyes and taste buds! To serve, spoon some of the tomato sauce on a plate, place a grilled cauliflower steak on the sauce, top it with some of the strawberry salad and finish it off with the chimichurri sauce

Tips

Plating Suggestion:

To serve, spoon some of the tomato sauce in a plate, place a grilled cauliflower steak on the sauce, top with some of the strawberry salad and finish off with the chimichurri sauce.

Ingredients

Grilled cauliflower steak:

1 large head cauliflower, sliced lengthwise through the core into 4 steaks
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Smoked tomato sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
40 g hickory chips, soaked for 30 minutes, and drained
6 globe tomatoes, halved crosswise, seeded
1 onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
5 carrots, sliced
¼ cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon crushed garlic flakes
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
1 can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
500 g butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Robertsons paprika
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
black pepper to taste

Strawberry salad:

1½ cup fresh blueberries, halved
1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup fresh blackberries, halved
¼ cup fresh coriander
chillies
radish
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey

Cooking Method

Grilled cauliflower steak:

Preheat the grill.
Brush one side of the steaks with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Sprinkle the seasoning over the steaks.
Carefully place the cauliflower steaks on the grill and grill for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and grill the other side as well, until the cauliflower is tender.
Remove the steaks from the grill and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Take note, the steaks are very fragile (which is why you slice them so thick). Be careful when you’re adding them to the grill and also when you flip them so they don’t break apart.

Smoked tomato sauce:

Prepare the grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to a medium heat and keeping the other side unlit to reach a temperature of 400°C.
Brush the grill grate with oil and place the soaked wood chips in a smoker box over direct heat. Cover the grill until smoke appears, for about 5 minutes.
Toss the tomatoes, carrots, and onion in the smoker with 2 tablespoons of oil. Smoke the tomatoes and onion over the unlit side, covered, until soft but not mushy, for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer the tomatoes and onion to a cutting board, let them cool, and then chop.
Purée the tomatoes, onion, broth, tinned tomatoes, mixed herbs and garlic in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Transfer the tomato mixture to a sautéing pan and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to let the sauce simmer.
Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and paprika, and simmer until thick, for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the butter until melted and the mixture has emulsified.
Take off from the heat, stir in the basil and vinegar; and season with pepper.

Strawberry salad:

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, zest, vinegar, olive oil, honey, and salt until well combined.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss everything together to ensure it’s thoroughly mixed.