Most of you know, I love anything cauliflower. The combination of a Caprese salad and the nuttiness of grilled cauliflower only adds to the love affair. The smoky flavour that oozes from the blistered and broken tomatoes when they are grilled combines perfectly with the sharpness of the parmesan or pecorino in the pesto. Sometimes I will throw a few sun-dried olives into the mix so that I can dream of being on the Mediterranean coast. Are you there?

Cauliflower Pesto Caprese Salad with Blistered Tomatoes

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Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
2-3 branches vine ripe cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp prepared pesto
1 large ball of bocconcini, sliced into 6 rounds
Flaked sea salt, I like Maldon
Coarsely ground black pepper
Olive oil to drizzle

Instructions

Slice the cauliflower into 1-inch “steaks,” leaving the large stem at the bottom so it helps the “steaks” hold together. You will have some large (and small loose pieces as well). For this salad, you will need 2-3 steaks.
Bring a flat saute pan of water to boil, add 2 tsp kosher salt and gently place the steaks in the pan and boil for 2-3 minutes, carefully remove.
Preheat the grill to high, brush the steaks with olive oil and grill on each side for about 5 minutes or until beautiful grill marks have appeared.
Brush or drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and place on the grill. Cook until blistered in spots. Remove.
Place two or three steaks overlapping on a platter, arrange the cheese tucked in and around the steaks, drizzle with pesto and arrange the tomatoes around. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy warm or room temp.