Polenta With Cauliflower Steak

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Edited on 12/23/2020 to make it more reader friendly.

Polenta with cauliflower steak (Vegan + Gluten-Free) served with some greens and a delicious roasted red pepper sauce. Oh, so good and so easy to prepare. Total time of about 20-25 minutes tops. Don't have to slog in the kitchen to whip up a delicious meal for two on Valentine's day or date night. Blackened cauliflower steak is good on its own, but when paired with polenta and the red pepper sauce… the meal becomes wholesome and hearty. A gourmet restaurant-style meal in the comfort of your home!

Inspiration for this recipe: )

Last year, on our wedding anniversary, we had dinner at one of the local restaurants - Restaurant 415 - and fell in love with the food and the ambiance. We had a wonderful time at this cool, modern restaurant.  They pride themselves in showcasing organic & locally sourced selections.  I tried their blackened cauliflower steak and fell in love with it.

Resources and References used for Polenta with Cauliflower Steak

• Serious Eats
• leaf. TV
• TheKitchn
• NYTimes

Steps & Order of preparing the dish

Read and understand the recipe fully before proceeding to prepare. This recipe involves a few different steps and can be customized using store-bought ingredients or prepared from scratch.

1. Prepare the spice rub and the red pepper sauce [See the recipe card for more details]
2. Start working on the cauliflower steak. Once they are in the oven, prepare the sauteed greens and polenta.
3. Assemble the dish.

Polenta with Cauliflower Steak Recipe Notes

1. This is a very easy vegan and gluten-free recipe, ideal for Valentine's day or a date night. Though I intended to keep it as a meal for two, I have to admit that Sonshine also enjoyed the meal with us whenever I made it.
2. Though the ingredient list looks long and the steps far too many, it is actually a very easy recipe. The spice rub and the sauce can be prepared in advance. Read the recipe a few times before you start the procedure :).
   1. Prepare the spice rub and the sauce
   2. Start working on the cauliflower steak. Once they are in the oven, prepare the sauteed greens and polenta.
   3. Assemble the dish.
3. Blackened spice rub can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container for future use. You might not use the entire quantity mentioned in the recipe for two steaks.
4. You can use a food processor or Vitamix to grind the spices in the blackened spice rub to give a fine spice powder. Or use a medium-sized mortar and pestle. 🙂
5. Roasted red pepper sauce can also be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving
6. Depending on the size of the cauliflower, the steak sizes may vary. You will not be able to use the entire cauliflower to make steaks. the florets will start to break. Reserve the florets for a different recipe. I will share a Here is a yummy recipe to use those florets.
7. Since you need only two peppers to make the sauce, you can roast them on the stovetop. Place the red peppers on a  wire roaster (or something similar), over the stovetop. Using a tong, turn the peppers at regular intervals (every 4-5 minutes). When peppers are charred to your preference, remove from fire and keep in a closed container for about 10 minutes. This cools down the peppers, and also the steam loosens the skin making peeling easier. (Note: The cooking time or the preparation time does not include the time to roast the red peppers)
8. I have used quick-cooking polenta for the recipe. If you decide to use regular cornmeal to cook polenta, note that it increases the cooking time considerably. (And the order of execution of the recipe also changes.. you will start with the polenta since that would require more time). Once the polenta is cooked, you can add some butter, or if you like to keep it vegan use olive oil. Mix it well.
9. Handle cauliflower steaks gently. They are delicate and have a chance of breaking off easily.

Polenta with Cauliflower Steak Recipe

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Polenta With Cauliflower Steak

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Polenta with cauliflower steak (Vegan + Gluten Free) served with some greens and a delicious roasted bell pepper sauce. Oh, so good and so easy to prepare. Total time of about 20-25 minutes tops. Don't have to slog in the kitchen to whip up a delicious meal for two on Valentine's day or date night. Blackened cauliflower steak is good on its own, but when paired with polenta and the red pepper sauce... It takes the meal to a totally different level. Gourmet restaurant style meal in the comfort of your home!

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Ingredients

Blackened Spice Rub

• 3 tablespoon Paprika
• 2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• ½ teaspoon mustard (I used whole black mustard seeds)

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

• 2 roasted red peppers
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2-3 basil leaves
• 1 shallot; roughly chopped
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

Cauliflower Steak

• 1 large cauliflower
• 1-2 teaspoon oil + more for greasing

Sauteed Greens

• 2 large chard leaves
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Polenta

• 1-1 ½ cups of quick cooking polenta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Garlic chips for garnish

• 1 meidum sized garlic clove, finely sliced

Instructions

Blackened Spice Rub

1. Using a food processor, blend all the ingredients listed under "blackened spice rub" to a fine powder.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1. Heat oil in a skillet, and saute garlic and chopped shallot and fry for a few minutes. Transfer to a blender, add roasted pepper, chilli flakes, and basil leaves and blend to desired consistency.

Cauliflower Steak

1. Note: Cauliflower steaks are delicate. Handle with care.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius) . Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease it with oil.
3. Trim the end of the cauliflower leaving the core intact. From the center, cut two ¾ inch pieces starting from top going all the way to the bottom.
4. Heat oil in a medium sized skillet (you can reuse the skillet you used for the read pepper sauce above; wipe clean if required) and sear the cauliflower stakes on both sides (about a minute or two).
5. Transfer the steaks to the prepared baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the blackened spice rub generously and evenly over the steaks. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven.

Sauteed Greens and Garnish

1. Wash and roughly chop the chard leaves.
2. Heat oil in the skillet (again, you can reuse the skillet you used in the previously; wipe clean if required) and add the thinly sliced garlic cloves. Fry till golden brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
3. To the same skillet, add the chopped chard leaves and saute for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat.

Polenta

1. Follow the instructions on the package for the quick cooking polenta.
2. Once polenta is cooked, whisk in olive oil.

Assembling the dish

1. In a serving plate, serve the desired quantity of polenta.
2. Gently place (you can use a wide spatula to transfer the steaks) on top of the polenta.
3. Place some sauteed greens on the side.
4. Top the cauliflower steak with red pepper sauce and garnish with garlic chips.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. This is a very easy vegan and gluten-free recipe ideal for Valentine's day or a date night.

2. Blackened spice rub can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container for future use. You might not use the entire quantity mentioned in the recipe for two steaks.

3. You can use a food processor or Vitamix to grind the spices to get a fine spice powder. Or use a medium-sized mortar and pestle. 🙂

4. Roasted red pepper sauce can also be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

5. Depending on the size of the cauliflower, the steak sizes may vary. You will not be able to use the entire cauliflower to make steaks. the florets will start to loosen up. Reserve the florets for a different recipe.

6. Since you need only two peppers to make the sauce, you can roast them on the stovetop. Place the red peppers on a wire roaster (or something similar), over the stovetop. Using a tong, turn the peppers at regular intervals (every 4-5 minutes). When peppers are charred to your preference, remove from fire and keep in a closed container for about 10 minutes. This cools down the peppers, and also the steam loosens the skin making peeling easier. (Note: The cooking time or the preparation time does not include the time to roast the red peppers)

7. Handle cauliflower steaks gently. They are delicate and have a chance of breaking off easily.

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