Our final Chefs Series for February sees Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin step up to the plate with his roasted cauliflower steak recipe.
Scottish chef Tom Kitchin’s ‘From Nature to Plate’ philosophy has become synonymous with his award-winning restaurants. Alongside his wife, Kitchin leads a talented team across four esteemed venues in Edinburgh and East Lothian including the highly regarded Michelin-starred The Kitchin in Leith, The Scran & Scallie in Stockbridge, and recently opened, KORA by Tom Kitchin. Honouring the best of Scottish seasonal cooking, including this recent addition to KORA’s menu – Cauliflower steak with chickpea fritters, which is created using locally farmed vegetables combined with global flavours.
Roasted cauliflower steak recipe by Chef Tom Kitchin
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1x large cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt to season
- 10 x small, blanched kale leaves
- Handful of chickpeas to garnish
- Handful of pine nuts to garnish (lightly toasted if you have time)
F0r the salsa verde:
- 2 large handfuls curly kale (blanch and chop roughly, keeping a few leaves whole to garnish)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon cornichons
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the chickpea puree:
- 240g tin of chickpeas (leave around 40g aside to garnish the dish)
- Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 1 clove of garlic
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of tahini
For the chickpea fritters:
- 500ml water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon harissa paste
- 175g chickpea flour (gram flour) – sieved
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METHOD
To make the salsa verde:
- Drop the tender kale leaves into boiling salted water for 30 seconds then remove and
refresh in iced water. Drain off all the water and squeeze out any excess. - Blend the chopped kale with the Dijon mustard, capers, cornichons, red wine vinegar and
extra virgin olive oil to create a rough salsa. Add a little more olive oil, if needed, to make a
salsa that can be spooned easily on and around the finished dish. - Set aside. You can chill in the fridge until ready to use, but make sure you remove it from the
fridge around 30 minutes before serving.
To make the chickpea puree:
- Place the chickpeas (remembering to keep aside a handful to garnish) and the water from the
tin in a blender. Add the zest and juice from the ½ lemon, garlic, salt and tahini paste and
blend together to create a smooth puree. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed.
For the chickpea fritters:
- Bring a pan of 500ml of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the salt, oil, harissa, and lemon zest
and whisk to incorporate. - Bring the pan down to a low heat, and working quickly, add the gram flour and whisk into the
water. A paste will form – quickly and continuously whisk the paste for about 30 seconds until
it dries out a little and the paste starts to look sticky and comes away from the base and sides
of the pan. - Remove from the heat and quickly pour the mixture into a square tray/mould to allow it to set.
A terrine mould or cake tin would work well. Chill the mixture in the fridge until cold and set.
This can be done up to 24 hours in advance. When set, cut the mixture into 1-2cm cubes then
set aside until you are ready to assemble the dish.
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To create the dish:
- Cut the cauliflower into 2 steaks, being careful to keep the stalk intact so it doesn’t break
apart. - Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy based casserole dish, when hot add the cauliflower
steaks, season with salt and roast for about 15 minutes. Then turn them over and continue
cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes until just tender. - While cooking the cauliflower, pan-fry the chickpea fritters for 4-5 minutes, turning to ensure
the cubes are golden and crispy on all sides. - Warm the chickpea puree and spoon it into the centre of warm serving plates.
- Heat up the kale leaves and chickpeas by blanching them in lightly salted, boiling water.
- Place a cauliflower steak on top of the puree and arrange the kale leaves, chickpeas and
crispy chickpea fritters on and around them. You can also add a sprinkle of pine nuts to garnish
for extra flavour. - Spoon/drizzle the Salsa Verde around the puree and steaks to finish and serve.
Is a cauliflower steak recipe not your cup of tea? Check out last week’s blueberry pancakes recipe.
