Roast cauliflower steaks with almond, lemon and parsley dressing

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 2 large cauliflowers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

For the almond, lemon and parsley dressing
• 50g whole almonds or flaked almonds
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Small handful mint, finely chopped, optional
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the cauliflower ready

Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Trim away any tough outer leaves from the cauliflowers, then cut each one through the middle into thick steaks, around 2–3cm wide. You should get 2 good steaks from each cauliflower, with a few florets likely to fall away at the sides. Keep those as well. They can roast alongside and nobody needs to know they were not part of the original plan.

2. Roast until properly golden

Put the cauliflower steaks and any loose florets onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and black pepper, then turn or brush them so they are properly coated. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning carefully halfway through, until tender and deeply golden at the edges. You want proper colour here. Pale cauliflower has its place, but this is not it.

3. Toast the almonds

While the cauliflower roasts, put the almonds into a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for 2–3 minutes until golden and smelling nutty. Tip them onto a board or plate straight away so they do not keep cooking, then chop them roughly if using whole almonds.

4. Make the dressing

In a small bowl or jug, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Stir in most of the parsley, the mint if using, and most of the toasted almonds. It should taste bright, nutty and sharp enough to lift the cauliflower rather than just sitting politely on top.

5. Bring it all together

Once the cauliflower is roasted, transfer it to a serving platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing while everything is still warm so it settles into all the little crevices and catches nicely on the edges.

6. Serve

Scatter over the remaining almonds and herbs, then serve straight away. Very good on its own as a lighter main, or alongside grains, lentils or something simple and green if you want to make it go a little further.

A couple of helpful notes
- If your cauliflower steaks start colouring too quickly before they are tender, turn the oven down slightly for the final part of cooking rather than pulling them early.
- Flaked almonds give a slightly lighter finish, while whole almonds bring a bit more crunch. Either works very nicely.
- A spoonful of tahini whisked into the dressing would not hurt at all if you want a slightly richer, more substantial version.