There are, I’m pleased to say, signs that the grocery situation is easing.
I managed to book a Click & Collect slot at ASDA on Saturday afternoon. It’s for April 30th, which left me with a trip to the shops this week.
Or did it?
Browsing the TESCO site revealed some Click & Collect slots for Monday. I suspect they are putting them on at random to spread them round a bit. Or to annoy me. It could be either.
I will be collecting an order tomorrow afternoon, which is awkward because it leaves a 10 day gap, but is handy because it avoids a walk round the shop. After what happened last time I can do without people invading my personal space. I’m not saying that isolation is bad for me, but I’m turning into a recluse. I nearly said “Howard Hughes” there, but didn’t want people to get confused and think I was building an aeroplane in the back garden, craving banana nut ice cream or storing my urine in bottles.
You still can’t get ordinary flour or various random vegetables. Calabrese seems to be off the shelves for the second time in three weeks (that’s purple sprouting brocolli on the plates in the pictures), though courgettes are back.
The problem with flour is that although we have plenty, and the mills are running round the clock, it takes so long to bag it up in small bags that they can’t keep up with demand.
Ah well, I haven’t baked for the last three years, so I can probably survive without flour a bit longer.
Cauliflower Steaks
I cooked cauliflower steaks for tea – not a vegetable disguised as meat, just a cauliflower cut in a slab.
First trim the leaves and stalk, then cut it half. From each side, cut a piece about an inch to inch and a half wide. If it’s a big enough cauli, and you aren’t bothered about your fingertips, you can possibly get another steak out of each side. I didn’t. Tomorrow we will be having cauliflower cheese.
Oil a roasting tray, put the steaks in it, oil and season the top (I used a reasonably conservative sprinkle of cumin and black pepper) cover the tray with foil and cook in a high oven (250° C) for 10 or 15 minutes. This steams it. Then remove the cover, turn it over, season and cook for about 8-10 minutes a side. You might be able to get away with turning it once, when you uncover it, but the recipe left room for doubt so I turned it twice. It needs to be seared to look the part.
We served it with nut cutlets from the freezer, which were very pleasant. Julia thought the meal might be a bit bland without the cutlets, but I thought the cauli was OK as the main item. I served it with cheese/mustard sauce, though there are other sauces and flavourings. I may experiment with other seasoning in future, though it’s a big chunk of vegetable, and my digestive system is currently gurgling hard.
Cauliflower Steak with vegetables and Nut Cutlets
Looks good and I’m thinking you are very imaginative with your cooking!
It varies – I’m feeling the need for new recipes at the moment. 🙂
I’d say there are tons online, but remembering your hesitation with technology…I’ll refrain. Happy to send though-the old fashioned way =)
Thanks. I’m OK with taking recipes off the internet, I just get into a rut and forget to use them. 🙂
At the moment my knees are bad so I’m throwing things into a roasting tin for speed and ease. And I have too many carrots, so I need to eat carrots nearly every meal. 🙂
I tried roasted cauliflower steaks last night-excellent! Roasting is always good, good or bad knees!
Glad it went well. We will be having them again later in the week.
It will be saved to our recipes
I feel like my work is done. 🙂
😋
I have roasted cauliflower before but not in the shape of cauliflower steaks. By coincidence I bought a cauli today so I shall see what Mrs Tootlepedal thinks.
I roasted some of the leftovers today, and have a few more bits for tomorrow. I may try some ambitious spices tomorrow. After that I will have to wait ten days before I can get more shopping.
That’s very appetizing and healthful. I may try the cauliflower steaks myself.
I will be trying it again, though the cauliflower supply situation is a limiting factor. I didn’t order one in my Click & Collect shopping today and won’t be able to get one for 10 days now, unless I sneak out shopping. 🙂
Oh, Quercus! I was drooling as I read this. That meal looks utterly delicious. I have been wanting to do cauliflower steaks for a long time but somehow haven’t. You have inspired. I’m with Lavinia—those nut cutlets sound really, really good.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/258300820
Yes, I’ve been meaning to do cauliflower steaks for a while now. They turned out quite well, though I did follow the recipe this time. 🙂
Looking good to me, too. I like the cauliflower steaks idea, and the plate presentation looks more like pick a stick than Janga.
Yes, I see what you mean. I may examine the seasoning and sauce aspect a bit more.
The cauliflower steak looks really yummy 😊
I think it has potential. 🙂
What do you think it needs?
I could have been heavier with the spicing, plus there are loads of recipes on the net using garlic and lemon too. There are also recipes for roasting smaller bits, which may be more digestible than a whole “steak”.
Of course, it will have to wait until I can get a cauliflower…
Of course!
That looks like a good meal. The nut cutlets are a new food item to me. Never heard of them, but they sound interesting.
Just veggie burgers with nuts in. I see they are not available from the supermarket at the moment.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/258300820