Cauliflower "Schnitzel" Fried in UP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Even my husband, a butcher with over 20 years in the meat cutting business loved this meatless rendition of our German inspired favorite.  I'm thinking that Dr. Mary Flynn is going to give me a giant gold sticker for this one.

Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups plain bred crumbs
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup UP Certified, high-phenol extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying

Slice the cauliflower in half straight through, leaving the stem portion of each half intact.  Carefully slice the two hemispheres, through the stem portion into 1/2" thick steaks.  It won't be perfect, some might fall apart, don't worry about it.

Whisk together 1/3 cup of olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Place the cauliflower steaks and marinade into a large shallow pan or large gallon size zip lock bag.  Coat the cauliflower well and marinate for at least 1/2 hour.

Whisk the eggs in a pie tin, or similar large flat, shallow dish.

Whisk together the flour with a teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste.   

 In a heavy bottom pan, or dutch oven, heat 2" of super fresh, UP Certified, High Polyphenol (300 ppm+) extra virgin olive oil to 350 F.
  
First dredge the marinated cauliflower in the seasoned flour. 

Dip each steak into the whisked eggs,

Then dip into the bread crumbs.

Fry the coated steaks on each side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to drain on a rack or paper towels before serving.

Adjust seasoning by adding more salt if desired or pepper.

For presentation, consider serving the steaks atop a bed of baby arugula or salad with additional lemon olive oil vinaigrette on the side and/or lemon wedges. 

serves 4-6