Did you catch my Holiday ‘Steak’ dinner in the Staten Island Advance? No?! Shame on you!! You’re lucky I got you covered – link and below <3 Happy Holidays friends!

Steak. What do you think of when you hear that word? Probably not what I think of. Ah, I still remember my first trip to the famed Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse in Brooklyn — where I didn’t eat anything and was slightly taken off guard. No need to get into details. What I did realize, though, is that people who eat steak tend to like that “meaty” texture and something to bite into.

I was (obviously) determined to recreate this in a vegetarian dish.

The first time I ate a cauliflower “steak” was a few years ago at David Burke’s Townhouse (now closed), and I was slightly confused. But I LOVED the concept — it was textured and flavorful, “meaty,” and more importantly vegetarian!

I have recreated that dish in so many way and this time have come up with something that I think is perfect for the holidays — especially Christmas eve dinner!

Meet my Cauliflower Steak with Pomegranate Sauce & Arugula:

Cauliflower Steaks with Pomegranate Sauce:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 dried red chili
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1/4 freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 4 cloves of garlic – roughly chopped
• olive oil

Pomegranate Sauce:

• 1 cup pomegranate kernels
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 6-7 fresh mint leave
• 1 dried red chili
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 box baby arugula
• 1/4 cup pomegranate kernels
• splash of fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Remove leaves from cauliflower and cut stem – don’t cut too far up as you want the cauliflower to stay intact. Place the cauliflower stem down and begin cutting 1 1/2 inch thick slices – you will likely get 3 whole slices our of the cauliflower. Try to keep the other whole chunks intact as much as possible. You’ll have a small few chunks – thats fine. Dice the onions and roughly chop the garlic.
2. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind together the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, dried chili, chili powder, thyme, nutmeg, and salt until coarsely ground – not too fine. Lay the cauliflower steaks flat on the cutting board. Drizzle each with a bit of oil – coating each side and make sure to get it in the crevices. Equally divide the spicy mixture among the steaks. Spread into the steaks until completed coated.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high flame. Pour in olive oil and once its hot, add in the steaks – don’t crowd the pan too much. Add add the onions and garlic to the pan as well. Saute each side of the cauliflower about 10-15 minutes – you want the florets should be charred golden-brown and then stem should be fork tender. Remove and let cool. Repeat until all the cauliflower steaks are cooked.
4. To make the sauce – blend all of the ingredient together until smooth. Pour in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and slowly simmer until sauce has reduced by about 1/4. Strain through a find mesh strainer and set aside.
5. Toss arugula with the orange juice, olive oil, and pomegranate. I also added in a sprinkle of salt. Place the arugula on a large platter -spreading evenly. Carefully place the steaks on top of the salad and drizzle with the pomegranate sauce. Serve!