ROASTED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS WITH CAPONATA AND BASIL
A rich and intense sauce like caponata also makes a great addition to grilled meats or seafood.
Ingredients
2 x cauliflowers, sliced lengthwisethrough the core into 4 ‘steaks’,two per cauliflower, reserving theoffcuts for future use.
100 grams Genoese ground basilpesto
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
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