Purple Cauliflower Steaks With Pistachio-Spinach Pesto

Take a second and look at these pictures. Isn't purple cauliflower gorgeous?! It's a very elusive vegetable, but when you finally get a hold of it, you will be able to create the most stunning, colourful dishes. I like to pair it up with vegetables or sauces and create bold, contrasting colours, in this case it's bright green pesto.

Cauliflower steaks is a great meat alternative for vegans and vegetarians and people looking for a light, meat free meal. Those steaks are tender, juicy and can be flavoured with your own choice of spices and let's not forget about the visual appeal.

One thing to keep in mind while cooking purple cauliflower- when boiled, cauliflower will loose majority of it's pigments and florets will become light grey, light blue or light violet. You can of course boil the cauliflower and make a mash if you don't mind pastel food, but it's seems like such a waste of a great opportunity. If you roast the cauliflower or saute it, it will not only retain the original pigments, it will become darker and more vivid.

Purple cauliflower tastes, looks and cooks like an ordinary white cauliflower, except it's purple. This brilliant colour is natural and not at all genetically modified. There are also green and orange cauliflower varieties available.

1 large purple cauliflower

2-4 TBS olive oil suitable for roasting

salt, pepper

optional: garlic powder, onion powder, spices - to taste

for pesto:

1/2 cup shelled pistachios (salted or plain)

1/2 cup basil leaves

2 cups fresh baby spinach

1-2tbs lemon juice

2 tbs olive oil

1 garlic clove

salt

Remove the leaves and trim the stem, but make sure the core is intact. Cut straight through the middle of the head and slice a 3/4-1 in thick steak on each side. Save the excess florets for another recipe or roast them alongside the steaks.

Lightly grease the pan with olive oil, place the cauliflower on the sheet and brush it with more olive oil (use silicone brush to distribute it thinly and evenly)- oil will keep the florets from burning and drying out.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, spices and herbs too, if desired.

Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 15-30 min, cook shorter if you like your veggies al dente, longer if you like them very soft.

First picture is raw cauliflower, second and third is roasted. Notice how the colour deepened and became more vibrant.

Use an immersion blender to make pesto. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth, season with salt.