Serving Size: 2

Mise en Place and Notes:

For ease of cooking, measure out all the spices before the class begins.

Usually adobo takes a long time to make. It involves a lengthy process of smoking peppers for many hours then slow simmering with spices to make a thick, rich sauce. I developed a way to create adobe without spending the whole day doing it. Perfect for the busy weeknight home chef.

This recipe with yield about 1 cup of sauce. Place the leftovers into a Ziploc bag and lay flat in your freezer. You will be able to break off what you need for future recipes. The adobo sauce also works well for flavoring beans, veggies or rice.

Hardware

• cut board

• large fry pan with lid

• medium to large fry pan

• chef’s knife

• paring knife

• cheese grater

• medium bowl

• small bowl

• liquid measuring cup

• measuring spoons

• rubber spatula

• oven safe plate

• oven mitt

• spoon for stirring

• citrus zester- optional, but handy

*Preheat oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Adobo Sauce

1 small Onion

2 cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Agave Syrup

1/4 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Oregano

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 ½ teaspoon Chipotle Powder

1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

Remove the paper skin from the onion and garlic.

Place a cheese grater inside of a large bowl. Using the fine side, grate the onion, catching the juice. Repeat with the garlic. It should be about 1/4 cup in total.

Mix all remaining ingredients into the grated onion and garlic.

Cauliflower Steak

1 head of Cauliflower

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 cup Vegetable Stock

2 teaspoons Adobo Sauce

1 Lime

Salt to taste

Cut the cauliflower into 2 inch thick slabs. Keep the stem intact. This will help prevent the cauliflower from falling apart while cooking.

Mix the adobo sauce in 1 cup vegetable stock. Set aside. Check the sodium level of your vegetable stock. If it is high in sodium, do not salt your cauliflower.

Using the same skillet as the mushrooms, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The oil should smoke slightly at this stage. We want a higher temperature in the pan. Add the cauliflower steaks. Allow to sit until you see the edge that is against the pan turn golden brown. Flip and sprinkle salt over top of your steak.

Once you see the edge of the cauliflower against the pan starting to turn golden on the second side, pour the vegetable stock mixture over top and cover with a tight fitting lid. Set a timer for 5 minutes. If steam starts to escape out the side of the lid, reduce heat.

After 5 minutes, uncover. Place a small paring knife in the stem of the cauliflower. It should go in with little resistance. If the stem still feels raw, cover and allow to cook for another minute.

Tilt the pan to the side and allow the sauce to gather in a pool. Using a spoon, gently splash some of the sauce overtop of the steaks. Do this a couple of times and then place the pan back on the burner.

Allow the sauce to reduce until it appears thick. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Squeeze lime juice over top. Using a zester, add lime zest over top, then plate.

Mushrooms

1/4 pound Gourmet Desert Pearl Mushrooms

2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 cup Shallots-thinly sliced or 4 Pearl Onions-cut in half with skins removed

Salt- To taste

If using oyster mushrooms, thinly slice. For the pioppino, cut the larger stems into 1/2 inch pieces and leave the rest intact.

Place a medium to large fry pan over medium heat. Hold your hand about 6 inches from the surface. Once you can feel the heat, it is ready.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil. If it starts to smoke, remove your pan from the heat for a couple of seconds to cool.

Add your shallots or pearl onions. The onions should make a sizzling sound. Move them around gently in the pan.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil if the pan starts to look dry. Once they start to turn golden, remove the shallots from the pan. Place on an oven safe plate and place in the oven to keep warm.

Add the mushrooms. They should start to sizzle. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil.

Add salt to taste. About 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt is recommended.

Move the mushrooms around gently in the pan every couple of seconds. The mushrooms will start to brown slightly. If the pan goes dry, add a little more olive oil. You don’t want the mushrooms to be swimming in oil. You only want enough to coat the pan and keep the mushrooms from drying out. The stems of pioppino mushrooms will not shrink up very much when cooking.

Plating

1 Cauliflower Steak- cooked

Mushrooms and Onions- cooked

1 Radish-cut very thin

2 to 3 Blackberries- halved

4 to 5 Parsley or Cilantro Leaves

2 to 3 Cherry Tomatoes-halved

Now the fun part! Use your creativity! These ingredients are just a suggestion.