Ingredients
1 cup well-rinsed quinoa
2.5 cups vegetable stock
2 cauliflower heads
1 leek
1 small apple
1 clove garlic
1 t. thyme
1 t. chives
1 zucchini
Preparation
Make the quinoa: Sweat 1 cup well-rinsed quinoa with 1 tablespoon olive oil, add 2 cups vegetable stock and simmer over low heat until almost dry, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.
Make the cauliflower:At the largest part of 2 cauliflower heads, cut a cross-section to create 4 1-inch steaks. In a hot pan coated with olive oil, roast the steak on each side until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in a 200-degree oven to keep warm.
Make the cauliflower sauce: Cut the remaining cauliflower into small florets and blanch in salted water until tender. Drain and spread florets out on a baking sheet and place in a 300-degree oven for about 15 minutes, until florets have dried. Wipe out the pan used for the steaks, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté two sliced shallots, 1 sliced leek (white parts only), 1 small apple (peeled and diced) and one thinly sliced garlic clove. Add the cauliflower florets, season with salt and pepper to taste, and puree in a blender until very smooth.
Assemble the dish: Wipe out the pan, coat with olive oil and fold together cooked quinoa, ½ cup vegetable stock, ½ cup cauliflower puree (the rest can be combined with vegetable stock to make soup), 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon chopped chives, and drizzle with high quality olive oil. On each plate, lay down a bed of quinoa and top with a cauliflower steak. Also delicious with a ring of sautéed zucchini around the quinoa.
