Grilled Cauliflower
Cauliflower doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Most of us just steam or boil it. But I do it several ways: grill it as steaks, grill it as florets, even grill it and then puree it into a sauce or soup.
Grilled cauliflower is just fine on its own, but it adapts well to a variety of sauces. The fan-shaped grilled caulilflower steak shown above is lounging in a drizzle of my best olive oil. It also loves walnut oil, which brings out its nuttiness, and sometimes, for a treat, chopped hazelnuts. You can also top it with hollandaise sauce.
I have served chopped florets on pasta and in risotto. In the picture shown on the opposite page, florets accompany a grilled filet mignon topped with mashed potatoes and a rich roasted red pepper sauce.
Makes 2 to 4 servings
Takes 40 minutes
- 1 head cauliflower
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- Butter (optional)
1. Prep. Here’s how to make the steaks: Because they need the stem to remain intact, you’ll probably only get 2 to 4 steaks from a head. We’ll use the rest for florets, discussed in a minute. Remove all leaves, and with a sharp knife, shave off any brown spots. Cut off the lower ⅛ inch of the stem. Stand the head stem side up and, with a long, sharp knife, cut straight down through the stem, making 2 to 4 fan-shaped steaks, ¼ to ½ inch thick. Put them on a plate, salt and pepper them, and sprinkle them with oil.
2. With your hands, break the remainder of the head into florets. Put them in a bowl, salt and pepper them, and sprinkle with oil.
3. Fire up. Set up your grill for two-zone cooking and get it to about 325°F on the indirect side. Put a grill topper (see page 103) over the indirect side.
4. Cook. When the topper has warmed up, drizzle or spray some more oil on to prevent sticking and spread the florets onto the topper in one layer. Close the lid and cook until they are almost the desired tenderness, about 20 minutes. Then scoot the grill topper, florets and all, onto the direct side and finish them there for about 5 minutes, giving them some color, until they are the desired tenderness.
5. While the florets are cooking on the indirect side, place the cauliflower steaks on the direct side. Cook until they get some dark marks, perhaps 4 minutes, flip, and keep flipping until they are tender enough that a fork slides in easily.
6. Serve. You can simply serve the steaks or florets right off the grill, or top them with a drizzle of oil or melted butter.
