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Roasting cauliflower until it’s caramel-brown really changes the flavour of what could potentially be a bland vegetable. I love serving it cooked like this with offal, such as kidneys, liver and even heart. You can use any liver for this – lamb, veal or even my favourite, deer. The cauliflower itself also makes a great vegetarian starter teamed with capers.
Timings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower, trimmed and leaves removed
- 1 tbsp vegetable or corn oil, plus more for brushing
- a couple of good knobs of butter
- 500g lamb’s liver, trimmed and cut into long 1cm-thick slices
For the sauce
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- a knob of butter
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 2 tsp Dijon or Tewkesbury mustard
- 100ml red wine
- 250ml beef stock
- 1 tsp tomato purée
Method
- Boil the whole cauliflower in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile make the sauce. Cook 2 finely chopped shallots in a knob of butter on a low heat until soft, then stir in 2 tsp plain flour and 2 tsp mustard.
- Gradually add 100ml red wine and 250ml beef stock, along with 1 tsp tomato purée, stirring well to avoid lumps forming.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, then cover and put to one side.
- Once the cauliflower is cool, set it on its base and slice into four 2cm-thick steaks (the trimmings from the ends can be saved for bubble and squeak).
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-based or non-stick frying pan. Season the cauliflower slices and fry them for about 3 minutes on each side (cooking them in batches if necessary), adding a knob of butter after a couple of minutes, until nicely coloured.
- Meanwhile, heat a ridged griddle pan. Season the slices of liver and brush them with oil. Griddle for a minute on each side, keeping the liver nice and pink.
- To serve, transfer the cauliflower to warmed serving plates, arrange the liver on top and spoon over the shallot sauce.
