Cauliflower Steak with Couscous

 

This dish tastes like Orient. Or at least the cauliflower steak does. All these spices make it pretty intense.

The couscous is rather bland but in combination with the sauce it's just right for this dish. I actually liked the couscous this way, with the onions and garlic. It just needs a little more pep. Adding some salt would already make a huge difference here. And then the couscous would be a great side dish for other recipes. And not only for oriental ones.

This is a great method to prepare cauliflower. Only to cut them as steaks is pretty impractical. I mean it looks rather attractive. It's just that you can only get 2 steaks out of one whole cauliflower. If you plan a nice dinner for two, go ahead and make the steaks. But if you are preparing a meal for 3 or more people, cut the cauliflower into bigger florets, spread them on the baking sheet and bake them all at ones. Of course you have to adjust the amount of spices, but that shouldn't be a problem.

You can of course use other spice blends. When I was visiting my parents, we grilled some shashlik. I made some cauliflowers as a side dish. Me and my mom just mixed together all the different spices she's got at home. Our spice blend tasted pretty italian. It all went into a big bowl, a lid on top. And than just shake, shake, shake!

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Cauliflower Steak with Couscous

Cauliflower Steak

1 small cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp coriander, dry
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C/450°F.
2. Place baking parchment on a baking sheet.
3. Cut the of the leaves from the cauliflower.
4. Cut off the bottom evenly, so it can stand on it.
5. Cut the cauliflower in half.
6. Cut a 1,5cm thick steak from each half. The remaining florets are superfluous and can be used for something else.
7. In a small bowl mix together the oil, the coriander, the cumin, the cinnamon, the salt and the pepper.
8. Place the steaks on the prepared baking sheets.
9. Pour the spice blend on the steaks and use your fingers to spread it evenly on both sides.
10. Bake them for about 20 minutes. After the first 10 minutes turn the steaks around.

Couscous

1 cup couscous
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup water

1. Peel the onion. Slice it into half moons.
2. Peel the garlic. Mince the cloves.
3. Heat the oil in a sauce pan on medium-low heat.
4. Add the onions and fry them until they turn translucent.
5. Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds.
6. Add the water and bring it to a boil.
7. Add the couscous. Stir it in and then take the sauce pan of the stove.
8. Put a lid on the pan. Leave the couscous for 8 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
9. Carefully fluff it with a fork.

Lemon Tahini Sauce

1/3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp water
salt

1. Use a fork to blend all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Bon appétit!!