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Roast cauliflower steaks, crispy leaves and hazelnut sauce

Roast cauliflower steaks, crispy leaves and hazelnut sauce

Cauliflower is an environmental hero in my eyes. It grows in the harshest British climates sturdy and strong, is so affordable, and when you eat the leaves even more so. This dish demonstrates my environmental philosophy Root to Fruit Eating: means to eat for pleasure, eating whole foods from the whole farm, eating the best food we can, indulging in seasonal foods that are tasty, nutritious and inherently restorative for ourselves and the planet.

This dish makes a great vegetarian centerpiece. Cauliflower leaves are quite delicious and roast incredibly well alongside the cauliflower steaks. The hazelnut sauce is as moorish as it sounds working well alongside the toasty, sweet flavours of the roasted cauliflower.

WWF’s EARTH HOUR is the biggest movement to protect our planet. Hundreds of millions of people around the planet take part in WWF’s Earth Hour every year. This year, we want to get as many people in the UK to make a promise for the planet as we can #EarthHourUK

One Planet Plate is a restaurant movement (created by the Sustainable Restaurant Association in collaboration with WWF’s Earth Hour campaign) that puts sustainability on the menu. Chefs worldwide demonstrate how food can help us live better on planet earth. Faced with a full menu of dishes to choose from, it can be hard to use the power of your appetite wisely. A One Planet Plate is a delicious vote for the future you want to see.

This cauliflower recipe is my #OnePlanetPlate dish for Earth Hour, which you can find on the menu at our restaurant Poco Tapas Bar in Bristol.

PREP TIME

10 minutes

COOK TIME

45-50 minutes

SERVES

4-6 as a side dish or starter

Ingredients

  • 1 small cauliflower, leaves still attached

  • Glug light olive oil

  • 80g hazelnuts, soaked for a minimum of four hours or overnight if possible

  • 1 large clove garlic

  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving

  • 2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar

  • 25g stale bread

  • 2 sprigs mint, leaves torn or whole, stems finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C.

To roast the cauliflower: first pull off the larger leaves from the cauliflower, cut them in half – through the middle of the stem – and place into a medium sized roasting tin. Cut the cauliflower into 3cm thick slices or steaks from top to bottom and add to the tin. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25-35 minutes until the cauliflower chars slightly and softens inside.

To make the hazelnut sauce: Place 50g of the soaked hazelnuts in a high powered blender with the garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Soak the bread in 120ml of water for a few seconds or until soft, add both the water and the bread to the blender. Blend to a very smooth paste for several minutes.

Serve the slices of roast cauliflower and crispy leaves drizzled with the hazelnut sauce, the remaining hazelnuts, crushed and sprinkled over the top and torn mint leaves.

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For more of Tom’s recipes... Check out his new book

Eating
for
Pleasure,
People &
Planet

By TOM HUNT

Tom's manifesto, 'Root to Fruit' demonstrates how we can all become part of the solution, supporting a delicious, biodiverse and regenerative food system, giving us the skills and knowledge to shop, eat and cook sustainably, whilst eating healthier, better-tasting food for no extra cost.

Tom Hunt

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Tom Hunt is an award-winning chef, food writer, climate change activist and author of the new book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. He prioritises people and the environment within his work and believes in a world with a fair global food system where our actions benefit other people and nature. Learn more here.
Recipes
Films
Podcasts
Manifesto
Food Facts
Articles
Events
Catering / Consultancy
About
Tom Hunt is an award-winning chef, food writer, climate change activist and author of the new book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. He prioritises people and the environment within his work and believes in a world with a fair global food system where our actions benefit other people and nature. Learn more here.
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