Cauliflower can become savory steak

The last time I made cauliflower “steaks,” I was playing with the chicken-fried idea and I served them with a miso-mushroom gravy.

This time, my approach is lighter and brighter. In this recipe by Jodi Moreno in “More With Less” (Roost Books, 2018), they’re coated in a chickpea-flour batter, pan-fried and served with a sharp, chunky sauce made from thinly sliced scallions, grated ginger, sesame oil and lime juice.

The only trick to cauliflower steaks, by the way, is in the cutting. It’s hard to know just how many steaks you’ll get out of a head because at a certain stage of the slicing you’re out of stem, which means that the florets no longer hold together. No worry. There’s enough batter for you to fry up all the stray bits, too. Crispy cauliflower steaks with ginger-scallion sauce Simple” by Jodi Moreno. For the sauce: 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger root 6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 jalapeno or mild green chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon honey ¼ teaspoon sea salt, or more as needed For the cauliflower: 1 large head cauliflower 1 cup chickpea flour 1 cup water 1 teaspoon garlic powder (granulated garlic) ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly toward the outer edge, repeating until the steaks no longer hold together. You should end up with three or four whole steaks. Break up the remaining pieces into florets.

Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a wide, shallow bowl.

Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, dip a few of the steaks into the batter and turn to coat evenly.

Transfer them to the pan; cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisped. Transfer to the lined plate. Repeat with any remaining steaks.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Toss all the remaining florets into the batter so they are well coated, then transfer them to the pan and fry, turning every 2 minutes or so, until golden brown and crisped.

Re-stir the sauce; taste and add more salt, as needed.

Serve the cauliflower steaks warm, with spoonfuls of the sauce on top.

PER SERVING (based on 6): 190 calories, 7 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 11 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 320 mg sodium