Method

Preheat oven to 220°C.

Heat 100ml oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add eggplant in batches and stir occasionally until golden all over, about 6-7 mins, and transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Add remaining oil to a medium-sized pot along with the onion, celery, garlic, chilli and pine nuts.

Cook until soft and tender for about 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally.

Add cinnamon and cocoa and cook for a further 2-mins.

Add tomato, sugar, vinegar, currants and 250ml water and simmer until reduced by half, about 3-4 mins.

Return eggplant to the pan and simmer until tender and mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in capers. Season to taste and set aside.

While the caponata is reducing to a thick sauce, line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place cauliflower steaks on the prepared baking sheet, brush with a little olive oil and season to taste.

Roast cauliflower steaks in oven for 10-15 mins.

Gently turn over each steak and brush with a little more olive oil and season to taste again.

Continue roasting until just tender and golden, about 10-15 mins more.

Remove from oven.

To serve, place roasted cauliflower steaks on four plates, divide the caponata between them and spoon around the pesto.

Ingredients

2 x cauliflowers, sliced lengthwise through the core into 4 ‘steaks’, two per cauliflower, reserving the offcuts for future use.
100 grams Genoese ground basil pesto
For the caponata:
125ml olive oil
2 eggplants (about 800 grams),
diced into 2cm cubes
1 onion, peeled, roughly diced
1 celery stalk, roughly diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely
chopped
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
powder
4 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons caster sugar
50ml balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons currants
250ml water
3 tablespoons capers