In the Kitchen with … Joseph Morris: Luna’s executive chef answers call of cauliflower

When Joseph Morris needed an interesting vegetarian dish for Luna’s spring menu, he answered the call of cauliflower.

The executive chef created a curried dish, gently sweetened by poached golden raisins and brightened by one of his signature touches: a drizzle of house-made lemon oil. Baby greens add an herbaceous note, while finely chopped cauliflower “rice” or “couscous” varies the texture and reminds diners of the raw version of the entrée’s base.

The humble and versatile cruciferous vegetable – low in carbs and calories, rich in vitamin C – makes for a great grain or meat substitute. Sauteed or roasted – or both, as in this dish – it takes on a buttery, nutty, caramelized flavor that pairs well with warming Middle Eastern and Indian spices.

Morris liberally sprinkles curry powder over cauliflower slices or “steaks” before sauteeing them in browned butter and finishing them in the oven.

“I wanted to do cauliflower differently,” he said. “It’s a nice-looking dish.”

The offering came on the lunch menu for $11 in March, and Morris had planned to add it to the “in-between” or happy-hour and dinner menus, too.

“It’s affordable. It’s approachable. And it’s going to stay on through May or June,” said 33-year-old Morris, who goes by Joe in the kitchen and @bigjoedaking on Instagram.

He isn’t vegetarian, but “I cook a lot of vegetarian food at the house,” he said. “I eat a lot of vegetarian stir-fries. I really like to build flavors without using a bunch of heavy cream.”

When cooking meatless dishes, he finds the biggest challenge is to make them flavorful.

“I love this dish because it’s simple and complex at the same time,” he said. “The raisins naturally have a little tanginess to them and a subtle sweetness. We build off that. You get this sweet, salty, savory dish with a bit of tang. It’s bright and light, but it’s filling at the same time.”

While Curry Cauliflower with Poached Golden Raisin Coulis is vegetarian, it definitely isn’t vegan. There’s plenty of browned butter to enhance the toasty and nutty taste of the sauteed, then roasted veggie.

Pureed cauliflower, Morris said, would be a nice addition, too – for added creaminess. A topping of chopped nuts – hazelnuts or pistachios – would lend a crunchy texture and enhance the buttery, nutty flavor of the dish.

Poached golden raisins, golden raisin coulis and lemon oil liven it all up. Morris recommends making up big batches of each and using them to top other springtime dishes, too.

He particularly uses a lot of the coulis and lemon oil.

Of both, he said, “I use it on everything. It’s great on everything.”

Curry Cauliflower with Poached Golden Raisin Coulis

By Joseph Morris of Luna in Spokane

1 cauliflower

3 to 4 tablespoons curry powder, allowing about 1 tablespoon per steak

5 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more if needed

2 generous pinches of salt

Greens for serving, such as mache salad greens, arugula or baby spinach

Poached Golden Raisins, for serving (see recipe below)

Golden Raisin Coulis, for serving (see recipe below)

Lemon oil, for serving (see recipe below)

Chopped hazelnuts or pistachios, for garnish (optional)

Cut cauliflower into three or four “steaks” or slices, reserving any florets that might break away while cutting larger pieces. Sprinkle curry powder on each side of each steak as well as over half of the florets. Finely chop the remaining florets so that the crumb resembles rice or couscous; reserve.

Brown 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat in large skillet. Brown 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat in a medium skillet.

Add steaks to large skillet. Add florets to medium skillet.

Meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sear steaks, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Stir florets occasionally, cooking for about 4 minutes in all. Add ½ tablespoon butter to each skillet about halfway through cooking, plus more if needed. Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over each skillet.

After searing steaks, place on baking sheet and finish in 350-degree oven until soft, about 4 minutes. “You want to be able to put a knife in easy,” Morris said.

Arrange 1 ½ to 2 steaks on per plate. Place florets around the larger pieces. Place mache sprigs on one side. (If using arugula or spinach, consider plating the leaves first and laying steaks on top of them.) Spoon raisins, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per plate, atop cauliflower and florets. Sprinkle on raw cauliflower “rice” or “couscous,” as desired. Dot coulis on plate, as desired. Top with a drizzle of lemon oil. Top with chopped nuts, if desired.

Yield: 2 servings

Poached Golden Raisins

By Joseph Morris of Luna in Spokane

3 cups orange juice

1 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

3 cups golden raisins

Cook in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes until raisins are soft. Cut the heat and allow raisins to steep for 10 minutes. Strain out raisins and reserve the liquid (for repoaching or to make coulis).

Golden Raisin Coulis

By Joseph Morris of Luna in Spokane

1 cup Poached Golden Raisins (see recipe above)

1/2 cup poaching liquid from Poached Golden Raisins, or more or less as desired (see recipe above)

Place raisins and poaching liquid in the jar of a blender. Puree until smooth.

Note: Use more or less liquid, as desired. “Some people like it thicker,” Morris said.

Lemon Oil

By Joseph Morris of Luna in Spokane

“I use this to finish everything,” Morris said.

Zest of 10 lemons

2 cups canola oil

Combine ingredients, then heat mixture in a large saucepan to 165 degrees. Cut the heat. Transfer mixture to a lidded Mason jar. Place filled jar in pot of water to make a double boiler. Simmer for 1 ½ hours on medium heat. Remove Mason jar from double boiler and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to store.