Southbound restaurant in Chamblee has an excellent cauliflower appetizer and I wondered if they would share the recipe so you can publish it. Thanks. — Beth Schumaker, Atlanta
Southbound’s executive chef Bethany Colvin says the restaurant has had a cauliflower steak on its menu off and on for about nine years. She came up with this version that’s on the menu right now.
The restaurant makes its own harissa and provided the recipe, but Colvin says it’s fine to use store bought. And if you don’t have Castelvetrano olives, she suggests any buttery green olive will do.
To make a cauliflower steak that holds together, you’ll need to cut the cauliflower from top to bottom, making sure there’s enough of the stalk to keep the rest of the slice together. We found a 2-pound head of cauliflower yielded two perfect steaks and one that wasn’t quite so perfect. We suggest purchasing the largest cauliflower you can find and, after cutting the steaks, reserving the remaining cauliflower for another use.
The restaurant steams the cauliflower ahead, and then puts the steamed cauliflower in their wood-burning grill when the appetizer is ordered. Serve it as they do at the restaurant with about a tablespoon of harissa and 2 to 3 tablespoons of tahini dressing.
If you don’t have a steamer, fill a large saucepan with 1/2 inch of water. Make three golf ball-sized balls of aluminum foil and arrange in bottom of saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Arrange the cauliflower steaks on a heatproof plate. It’s fine if the steaks overlap. Carefully lower plate into the saucepan. Cover the saucepan and cook cauliflower until tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and use tongs to carefully remove the hot cauliflower from the makeshift steamer.
Southbound’s Wood Grilled Cauliflower
Tahini Dressing
Always stir tahini well before using. This recipe makes a very tart dressing that is also delicious on a salad with some sweet ingredients such as cubed apples or dried fruit. The restaurant dresses each serving with 2 or 3 tablespoons of dressing.
Harissa
Rehydrate chiles by putting them in a small bowl and covering with warm water. When chiles are flexible, about 30 minutes, remove them from water and discard stems, seeds and soaking water. The restaurant garnishes each appetizer serving with a tablespoon of harissa.
From the menu of . . . Southbound, 5394 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 678-580-5579, southboundatl.com/.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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