Grilled Paprika Cauliflower

_{with Caper and Anchovy Butter}

Whenever I think about cauliflower, I think of it as a side dish. It’s rarely the main attraction. I had a cauliflower and I wanted it to be the hero! I woke up knowing I was going to use capers, anchovy and butter. I think this is the perfect combination of flavours to elevate the humble cauliflower to rock star status. I love the boldness of capers and the loudness of anchovy, but there is a delicate balance when using them together to ensure they compliment the dish rather than overpower it. When it comes to anchovies, a little goes a very long way. They are the supporting act rather and the strength of their flavour needs a gentle and reserved hand. You shouldn’t know they are there.

Capers are bold too and one can be a little more generous. Of course if you don’t have these or anchovies in your fridge just brush with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. The inspiration for this dish came from Adria Wu, one of the chefs on the Netflix series, Five Star Chef. She is a plant based chef and although she doesn’t eliminate meat entirely, her concept is to amplify the vegetables on the plate and reduce the portion of meat. It’s still there, but not the star on the plate as much as the vegetables are. I have noticed, that I am more aware of this way of eating and have tried to implement the same lifestyle in my life too. In order to do that I have to rethink about how to cook my vegetables. They can’t be an afterthought.

Having a whisk and an egg yolk at the ready I got to work on my emulsion. Follow the recipe to see how its done

Grilled Paprika Cauliflower with caper and anchovy butter

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower sliced into steaks about 10-12mm thick
• smoked paprika, salt and pepper

Mash Potatoes

• 4 potatoes cubed and boiled in salted water drain and set aside

Caper and Anchovy Butter Sauce

• 60g butter unsalted and melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 60g olive oil
• 1 Tbs capers + extra for garnish
• 1 – 2 anchovy fillets use 1 first and taste add 2nd if necessary

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC  and while it's heating make the mash potatoes and the sauce
• Prepare the cauliflower by par cooking in a steamer for about 5 minutes. Gently place the cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. 

Caper and Anchovy Butter Sauce

• In a bowl whisk the egg yolk together with the lime juice, water and salt.  Gently drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. 
• Add the olive oil and continue to whisk.  Now add the capers and anchovy and use an immersion blender to mix into the butter emulsion.
•  Spoon onto the cauliflower and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes until cooked and golden. 
• Serve on mash potatoes

  Stir about 2 Tbls of the caper butter sauce through the mash to layer and intensify the flavours
• Place on bed of mash, drizzle more caper and anchovy butter over if you like and serve with a wedge of lime. 

Notes

 This sauce will also work well with grilled chicken or fish.