The name's a bit of a cheat – there's no jerk seasoning anywhere near this cauliflower, and nothing dried about it. What earned it the name is the char: dark, sticky-edged, smoky enough to make you look twice before you realise it's still just cauliflower. The marinade does the heavy lifting – ginger, garlic, chilli, a proper hit of smoked paprika, and a spoonful of honey to help it all catch and caramelise in a hot oven. Sliced into thick steaks rather than florets, it holds together on the plate and eats like something far more substantial than a vegetable side.

Ingredients for Cauliflower Steak Recipe

(serves 2, as a side or light main)

• 1 cauliflower
• Small bunch fresh coriander
• Thumb-size piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Knob of butter
• ½ tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
2. Place all the marinade ingredients – coriander, ginger, chilli, garlic, olive oil, butter, honey, spices, lemon juice, salt and pepper – in a blender and blitz until smooth.
3. Slice two "steaks" from the middle of the cauliflower, about 1 inch thick.
4. Brush generously with the marinade, working it into the nooks and crannies on both sides.
5. Place the steaks on a baking tray, cover loosely with foil, and roast for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes, turning once, until the edges are dark and slightly charred.

Jerky Cauliflower Steaks - The Flexible Chef

If you're after more ways with cauliflower, my Cauliflower: Pimping It Up takes it in a completely different direction.

This jerky cauliflower steak recipe is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef