As we approach the spring planting season and the prospect of summer, I like to start thinking of new ways to cook the same old vegetables.

One of my favorites has always been cauliflower because it can be cut into nice, big hunks and it’s a perfect candidate for roasting. It has enough flavor that all it really needs is a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

Cauliflower comes in a rainbow of colors: nearly iridescent purple, reminiscent of an octopus; mustard yellow or orange and the green Romanesco that looks like some kind of 3D-printed fractal art.

No matter what color you have, white or purple, it is a perfect side dish and maybe even a main course.

I first learned to love cauliflower when I was an au pair in Germany. We would get a weekly fruit, and mostly vegetable, box delivered. Being the hired help, my duties included making dinner most nights, that meant coming up with things to do with all the vegetables. Kohlrabi and cauliflower were almost always included in the shipment.

While I still might struggle a little with kohlrabi, I quickly found cauliflower was the easiest thing to prepare. I’d cut it into florets, toss it with some olive oil and salt and roast it in the oven.

Cauliflower can also be sliced or treated like a steak. It might not have the meaty qualities of a portabella mushroom, or be a front-runner as a meat substitute, but a cauliflower “steak” is still an easy and delicious thing to prepare.

Better yet, it can form the base for other dishes that require a slab of something, like sandwiches and burgers.

I’ve included a couple of different ways to prepare cauliflower steaks here.

The first is simple: cut the head into ½-inch slices, slather on a little olive oil, sprinkle salt and let it roast at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

The second method requires a little more preparation and is a bit fancier. It involves making a little vegetable medley that is served on top of the steaks, made up of roasted pepper, olives and capers.

Ingredients

1 cauliflower

2 tbsps. olive oil

Kosher salt

1 roasted pepper

1 handful of black olives, without pits

A few sprigs of parsley

1 teaspoon capers

½ tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the cauliflower into ¼-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spritz, dab or drizzle olive oil on top of the cauliflower, followed a sprinkling of kosher salt.

Bake the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the medley by chopping the olives, roasted pepper, olives, parsley and capers. Transfer the medley to a medium bowl and add oil and vinegar. Mix.

When the steaks are done, spoon the medley over the top and serve.

Recipe adapted from Good Food.