About the Recipe
Mark Twain wrote in Pudd'nhead Wilson that "Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education." Affordable, sturdy, and full of minerals, antioxidants, natural antibiotic and antiviral properties, this member of the cabbage (brassica) family is indeed a pretty smart cookie. Aren't we all happy that cauliflower is having its moment? Recall about 5 or so years ago when cauliflower "mash" first started showing up on menus in lieu of potatoes in our starch-fearing culture. Fast-forward to 2017 when "ricing" it became the big new trend, followed by roasting giant, tasty slabs of it. I'm loving this version of the latter preparation which features warm and creamy cashews, countered by the brightness of lime, garlic, cilantro, and chilies. Why not make your table "on-trend" and serve some up this weekend?
-Christine, your roasting-obsessed Market VP
Ingredients
Two 2-lb heads of cauliflower*
2 Tbsp plus ¼ cup neutral oil like canola
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lime zest and 2 Tbsp juice; plus four wedges for each serving
1 finely grated medium garlic clove*
¾ cup chopped, roasted cashews*
1 or 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (minced; reserving 2 Tbsp sauce)
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro*
¼ teaspoon salt
* = available for purchase at MFM!
Preparation
Cut cauliflower heads in half, top to bottom. From the cut side of each half, slice off a 1½-inch thick slab, creating 4 cauliflower "steaks." Reserve the ends for another use. Liberally brush the steaks on all sides with 2 Tbsp of oil, then arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Stir together 1 tsp sweet paprika, 2 tsps kosher salt, and ½ tsp black pepper, then sprinkle on all sides of steaks. Roast at 450° until well-browned and a skewer inserted into the cores meets no resistance (about 25-30 minutes), flipping once halfway through. Cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together grated lime zest, lime juice, and grated garlic clove. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in cashews, 1 or 2 chipotle chiles (depending upon your taste), adobo sauce, chopped cilantro, ¼ cup oil, and salt.
Taste and season with salt, then spoon over the steaks. Serve with lime wedges.