Cauliflower curry, boiled eggs & coconut crumble

Cauliflower and eggs are two of my favourite things, here ingeniously combined by Dan Doherty of the Duck & Waffle in his brilliant book Toast, Hash, Roast, Mash.

Dan writes: "I fell in love with vegetable curries while spending time in India and Bangladesh – cauliflower curry being one of my favourites. The coconut works really well, adding flavour and a rich creaminess, with a crunch in the topping."

Serves 4–6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

olive oil

1 cauliflower, broken into florets

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon onion seeds

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 onion, finely chopped

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

150g (5 ½ oz) cooked yellow lentils

2 x 400ml (14fl oz) cans of coconut milk

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

8 eggs, hard-boiled and shelled

a large sprig of coriander

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and brown the cauliflower florets on all sides.

Meanwhile put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ground turmeric, onion seeds and curry powder in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for a few minutes, shaking the pan, until you can smell the aromas and the spices look toasted.

Add the onion to the cauliflower pan and cook over a medium heat without letting it colour for 5–6 minutes, or until soft . Add the ginger, garlic and red chilli and cook for a further 3 minutes, again without letting them colour. Stir in the toasted spices and cook for 3 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and pour over the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a dry pan, toast the desiccated coconut over a medium heat, shaking the pan, until golden brown.

After the final 10 minutes cooking time, the cauliflower should be cooked but retain a little bite. Add the eggs and cook for 3–5 minutes more. Roughly chop the coriander, stalks included, and stir through.

Transfer to a serving dish and scatter the toasted coconut all over, like a crumble, then serve.

What to drink:

Assuming you manage to resist the temptation of having this for breakfast (I would be sorely tempted, personally) a glass of dry white wine such as a chenin blanc, (not too oaky) chardonnay or viognier would be delicious with it. And if you're having it for brunch, why not a glass of champagne or cava?

See also The Best Wine Pairings for Cauliflower

Extracted from Toast Hash Roast Mash by Dan Doherty, published by Mitchell Beazley, £20 www.octopusbooks.co.uk. Photograph ©Anders Schonnemann

Rare seared sirloin steak slivers with feta, charred lettuce and charred cucumber

If you're thinking of going in for our Le Creuset competition this month you may have been tempted by the rather gorgeous-looking cast iron square grill.

Well here's something delicious to cook on it from best-selling author Sabrina Ghayour

Sabrina writes: Although essentially a salad, this dish has great flavour and texture making it so much more than just a salad. Juicy steak slivers mingled with charred cucumbers, lettuce halves and salty feta, make this dish an indulgent yet virtuous pleasure to eat. The dressing finishes the dish off beautifully with a little chilli kick.

You can also make wonderful sandwiches using toasted pitta bread or warmed baguettes.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: Approx. 5 minutes

Ingredients

600g-800g sirloin steak

2 teaspoons of coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons of rose harissa

50g fresh rocket leaves

200g feta cheese, crumbled

1 whole cucumber, quartered lengthways and cut into 3 inch fingers

4 gem lettuce hearts, halved

Maldon sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the sauce (blitz the ingredients below with a hand/stick blender)

2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

½ packet of fresh coriander

½ packet of fresh mint, leaves picked

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of rice vinegar

1 tablespoon of cold water

Method

1. Marinate the steak with the black pepper, harissa and a little olive oil and massage into the meat.

2. Brush the cucumber and lettuce pieces with olive oil.

3. Pre-heat the grill on a low to medium heat. Test the temperature of the pan (see Cook's Notes below) and when hot enough add the cucumber and lettuce for a minute or so until they begin to char. The lettuce will take less time as it is more delicate and needs only to be charred on the cut side. Once done, remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Test the temperature of the grill again and, if hot enough, begin searing the steak.

5. Sear the steak on both sides for about 2-3 minutes on each, or more if you wish to cook for longer (see Cook's Note below). Remove from the grill and allow to rest so the juices flow back through the meat to ensure it stays moist and juicy.

The recipe works equally well with chargrilled chicken breasts or pork escalopes.

Cook's Notes

• To check if the grill is hot enough add a few drops of cold water to the hot surface. If it sizzles and the water evaporates almost immediately, it is hot enough and ready for use. If the water produces steam and has no sizzle, heat the pan for a little longer and repeat the test again.
• You can check to see how the meat is cooked by pressing it with your finger; if there is a lot of bounce, then the meat is very rare. The less bounce you have, the more the meat is cooked. You are looking for the meat to have a bit of bounce in order to be rare. Cook for longer if you don’t want the meat rare.
• Do not heat the empty grill for more than two minutes to avoid overheating

What to drink: As the dressing has quite a kick I'd go for a juicy red that can handle a bit of spice, like a Chilean carmenère or a young rioja. You could also drink a strong dry rosé.

You can find more of Sabrina's recipe on the Le Creuset website