This recipe is quickly becoming my favorite way to prepare cauliflower. Whenever I make “Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Lemon and Garlic,” my husband and I eat the entire cauliflower head in one sitting. And the last time, my husband ate the entire dish himself, leaving me with nothing. Well, I did say, “help yourself,” but I didn’t intend for him to eat the cauliflower in it’s entirety. My favorite Lebanese restaurant, Serops, offers a menu item which I absolutely love, “Fried Cauliflower.” It has has a subtle lemon and garlic flavor. I have been trying to figure out how they make the dish. These “Cauliflower Steaks,” surprisingly, have the same flavor and taste. I think I’ve got it. This dish is delicious — and very healthy!

“Cauliflower Steaks” must be the latest fad for cooking cauliflower. I am seeing more and more recipes in magazines and on the internet using “Cauliflower Steaks.” Cutting the cauliflower head lengthwise so that the slices are about the same thickness has some advantages. It means that the pieces of cauliflower all cook in the same time frame. It is easy to evenly season the flat cut edges of the cauliflower flowerets. Plus this dish is easy to prepare, using only a couple of ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.

Recipe

Here are the ingredients for this dish. It uses only six ingredients — and except for the cauliflower you probably already have them in your home. You need a fresh medium to large cauliflower head. The seasoning blend is simply olive oil, lemon juice concentrate, lots of fresh garlic cloves, salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.

The most challenging part of this recipe is cutting up the cauliflower into steaks. Practice helps until you can figure out a satisfactory way to do this. I use a large six-inch chef knife. First cut off all the leaves. Trim the stem to about an inch. Holding the cauliflower head upright, make a slice through one side to make a flat cut. (I am left-handed and go from left to right.) Then cut the “steaks” at about 5/8″ cut across the cauliflower cutting through the entire cauliflower head and core. (If you cut the “steaks” too thin, they will likely fall apart.) Add any small intact flowerets to a lightly oiled baking sheet, otherwise use the small pieces of cauliflower which inevitably will scatter around for something else (such as an ingredient in a tossed salad). I was able to get three large cauliflower “steaks” and numerous smaller ones from this head.

To make the seasoning, crush the garlic cloves. I get to use one of my favorite kitchen gadgets for this task. Crushed garlic works much better than minced or chopped garlic. You need the flavor of the garlic, not small pieces (which will burn in the oven). It doesn’t hurt to be generous with the garlic. Add together the olive oil, lemon juice concentrate, salt and pepper. Douse half of the seasoning mix on the cut edges of the steaks.

Roast the cauliflower stakes in a 400 degree oven. After 15 minutes, carefully turn the cauliflower steaks over. I used a spatula for this task. Baste with remaining olive oil mix. Continue to roast until the cauliflower is tender and charred at the edges. about another 15 minutes. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the “steaks.”

Transfer to serving platter. Enjoy!

Over the years, I have learned to love cauliflower and it is now one of my favorite vegetables. I have posted a number of cauliflower recipes on my weekly blog since I began writing it. Each recipe has its own flavor. This “Cauliflower Steak with Lemon and Garlic” is another tasty way to fix this very healthy vegetable. I’m sure you will eat the entire head of cauliflower for dinner, too!