I spent one of my college summer breaks working in an Indian restaurant. Despite its many downsides (no air conditioning in the restaurant, for one), a definite perk of the job was that I received a meal after every shift–a vegetable curry and rice or naan bread. I got addicted to the combination of curry and cauliflower that summer, and every year when the weather starts to warm up, I start to crave it.

I make a vegetable curry which also uses cauliflower, but after a winter of stews and soups, I like to mix things up a little. This meal is a bit lighter and is perfect for a warm spring evening.

Curried Cauliflower Steaks with Parsley Salad

• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 1 tsp. of your favorite curry powder
• 1 T. olive oil
• one bunch of flat leaf parsley
• 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
• salt
• more oil for frying

Remove any leaves from the cauliflower and slice it crosswise into one inch thick planks. Mix the olive oil and curry powder together and pour onto a plate. Gently coat the cauliflower pieces in the curry mixture and allow to stand to marinate while you heat a large skillet over medium heat. I use my GreenPan non-stick pan for this. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat until shimmering.

Cook the steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned and caramelized all over. Be sure to turn the pieces over quite gently so that the steaks don’t break apart. Season lightly with salt and serve with a large handful of roughly torn parsley. Garnish with the sliced chili and another drizzle of olive oil, if desired.