By Joshua McFadden from his book Six Seasons
Serves 2-4 
(depending on the shape of your head of cauliflower and how many “steaks” you serve per person)
 
1 large head cauliflower (1 ½ -1 ¾ pounds)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups dried breadcrumbs (or panko breadcrumbs)
1 cup (3 ounces) aged provolone, shredded (grated on large holes of a box grater)
Plus ¼ cup finely grated provolone for dusting (cheddar, mozzarella, or swiss are delicious too)
½ cup chopped pickled sweet hot peppers
1/3 cup chopped mixed pitted olives (kalamata, green)
¼ cup capers
¾ cup lightly packed roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Trim the bottom of the cauliflower so that it sits firmly on the cutting board. Trim off about ½ inch from two opposite sides (to flatten them), then cut the cauliflower into thick slabs. Use a large spatula when handling the slabs. This will help to keep them from falling apart. Brush both sides of each slab with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Chop the trimmings and set aside to use in the topping.
3. Heat a baking pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Preheating the baking pan will help to brown the steaks on the bottom. Heat two if needed to cook the steaks without crowding.
4. Using a spatula, lay the slabs on the preheated pan and return to the oven quickly. Roast the cauliflower until tender, but not falling apart, 18-20 minutes.
5. While the steaks are roasting make the topping by mixing the breadcrumbs, shredded provolone, pickled peppers, olives capers, parsley lemon zest, and chopped cauliflower trimmings. Moisten with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, just to help the filling hold together. Taste the filling and season well. You should want to eat it all!
6. Take out the baking pan again and distribute the topping among all the slabs, pressing the make a thick layer. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the topping is lightly browned and starting to crisp, 10-15 minutes. 
7. Using your spatula, transfer the slabs to plates and top with a dusting of finely grated provolone.

 
Alternatives:
 
Variation to the above filling: (omitting the pickled peppers, olive, and capers) instead use 1 cup roughly chopped fresh mushrooms-cremini, portabella, button, ½ cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped, 1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed. Follow the recipe as above.

Protein option: Place topping on slabs of fried tofu

Herb options: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
 
How can you use this topping? 
 Stuffing for peppers, zucchini
Topping for roasted portabella mushrooms, spaghetti squash, pasta

By Gabrielle Hamilton
“This recipe does not include quantities for an excellent reason. At Prune, in New York, we started with a pound of brussels sprouts for dinner but ate them all while still prepping in the kitchen and then increased to two pounds and ate those as well, before we even sat down. Now we make them to be eaten standing up on purpose. Set out on the bar for parties, where you’d expect to find olives; they never last there either.” Gabrielle Hamilton
 
Kosher salt (Liz used about 2 tablespoons Kosher salt)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed at stalk end 
Extra-virgin olive oil (Liz used about 2 tablespoons)
Vietnamese fish sauce-Red Boat is a good brand ( Liz used 1 tablespoon)
 

1. Bring a large pot of water (Liz used 6 cups) to a boil, and season with coarse kosher salt until as salty as the sea. The author suggests to get a spoon and taste the hot water for salinity. It’s the only way to know what you’ve got in the pot. 
2. Add the brussels sprouts, and cook for about 10 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Still firm but fork tender.
3. Drain sprouts, and quickly transfer to a heatproof shallow bowl, and while hot, douse them with good-quality olive oil and sprinkle fish sauce over them judiciously. Stir, and taste one. Add another splash of fish sauce, if needed, and let the sprouts cool completely, resting and steeping for an hour or so, before serving at room temperature.

Crispy Fried Tofu

By Gabrielle Hamilton
“This recipe does not include quantities for an excellent reason. At Prune, in New York, we started with a pound of brussels sprouts for dinner but ate them all while still prepping in the kitchen and then increased to two pounds and ate those as well, before we even sat down. Now we make them to be eaten standing up on purpose. Set out on the bar for parties, where you’d expect to find olives; they never last there either.” Gabrielle Hamilton
 
Kosher salt  (Liz used about 2 tablespoons Kosher salt)
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed at stalk end 
Extra-virgin olive oil (Liz used about 2 tablespoons)
Vietnamese fish sauce-Red Boat is a good brand ( Liz used 1 tablespoon)

1. Bring a large pot of water (Liz used 6 cups) to a boil, and season with coarse kosher salt until as salty as the sea. The author suggests to get a spoon and taste the hot water for salinity. It’s the only way to know what you’ve got in the pot. 
2. Add the brussels sprouts, and cook for about 10 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Still firm but fork tender.
3. Drain sprouts, and quickly transfer to a heatproof shallow bowl, and while hot, douse them with good-quality olive oil and sprinkle fish sauce over them judiciously. Stir, and taste one. Add another splash of fish sauce, if needed, and let the sprouts cool completely, resting and steeping for an hour or so, before serving at room temperature.

 

​Bar Snack Brussels Sprouts Steeped in Olive Oil and Fish Sauce 

Cauliflower Rice

Serves 4-6

4 tablespoons butter, ghee, coconut oil, or olive oil
12 ounces cauliflower
2 scallions, chopped
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh flat leafed parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or cilantro
Salt and pepper

1. To “rice” the cauliflower: Remove outer leaves. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Using a box grater, grate the cauliflower florets. To use a food processor, place the blade attachment in the processor bowl. Add the florets and pulse until the cauliflower looks like rice. 
2. Place the riced cauliflower onto a cotton towel and squeeze it to release as much water as possible. 
3. In a large heavy skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the riced cauliflower. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften--about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the herbs and cook just until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

​

Recipe by Jael McHenry from The Kitchen Daughter
Serve 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots or 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Optional: 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thinly and/or 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 14-ounce can white beans, drained
1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, torn by hand. Juices reserved.
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups kale, ribs removed, and greens cut into ribbons 
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cubed artisan bread-onion focaccia if you have it
½ cup parmesan cheese

1. Heat an 8-quart soup pot over medium heat with olive oil and sliced shallots or onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. 
2. Add the chopped garlic and oregano. Continue cooking until the garlic and onions begin to turn lightly golden. 
3. Add the broth, drained beans, torn tomatoes, tomato juices, kale ribbons. Bring the soup to a quick boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30-45 minutes.
4. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil until hot but not smoking.  Add the cubes of bread and toss to coat with olive oil. Toast until browned and crisp. Remove the croutons to paper towels to cool. 
5. Serve the Ribollita in bowls with croutons and a healthy sprinkling of parmesan cheese. 

Recipe by: Jael McHenry-The Kitchen Daughter 
 
1 stick butter-salted or unsalted
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3 large eggs
1 cup raw sugar (or ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt or flaked salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil. Brush lightly with neutral oil or melted butter and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When melted, stir in the cocoa powder and espresso powder until well combined. Remove from the heat of the stove to allow to cool a bit.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the sugar slowly while whisking. The eggs should thicken up as you whisk. The whisking is pushing air into the eggs.
5. Add the chocolate mixture slowly while continuing to whisk. 
6. Stir in the flour and vanilla. Stir just enough to incorporate. Over mixing at this point will flatten the batter. 
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Place the pan into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Test with a toothpick. It should come out clean. If needed, add a few more minutes to the baking time. Remove from the oven and let cool. I love these brownies warm, but you should serve them as you like.