A colossal steak!

Almost all herbs with soft leaves taste best fresh. Oregano is an exception. If you want to dry soft herbs, for tea, for example, then it's usually a compromise – but there are exceptions for herbal teas, too, such as Greek mountain tea. In summer, I enjoy basil, tarragon, chervil, lemon verbena, and the like. But you won't find these herbs in my Christmas menus. And I definitely wouldn't use the dried herb if it's also growing fresh in the garden or in a pot. I even usually use bay leaves fresh in my pot. For years, I've used oregano as a fresh, green leaf, with or without flowers – it tastes great, of course.

But then I was back in Sicily, where, among other things, I found an incredible lemon salad for you. The chef there told me that the oregano for his salad is gathered wild in the nearby mountains and then dried. And it happens on exactly one day a year, June 24th, which is St. John's Day. At that time, the plant's flowers are just beginning to open, and the aroma is at its best – it intensifies even further when dried. In the recipe for the lemon salad, I had left it open whether the oregano should be fresh or dried. Now I think that was a mistake, but the realization that a dried herb is much better suited to this recipe than the fresh version only slowly began to sink in. Shortly after my trip to Sicily, friends brought me incredibly aromatic dried oregano from their farm in Victoria (and a recipe for zucchini blossoms ). A few months later, my favorite stylist gave me similarly outstanding dried oregano from her garden in Greece. Okay, I get it: Please prepare the salmoriglio sauce for the cauliflower steak with dried oregano—then it will taste truly wonderful.

There are certainly differences in quality, and it doesn't hurt if the herb was gathered wild in the Mediterranean mountains on the right day. Incidentally, in Liguria, where it's much colder than in Sicily, the right day falls on St. Anne's Day, a month later than in southern Italy. St. Anne is actually a much better suited patron saint of oregano gathering than John the Baptist: Jesus' grandmother is, among other things, the patron saint of women in labor. Oregano has antispasmodic properties and, as a medicinal herb, is said to ease labor.

1. Halve the cauliflower heads through the stem and cut a 4 cm thick slice from each of the four halves, ensuring the individual florets are held together by the stem. Steam the slices in 250 ml of water for 5 minutes. Then remove from the water, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and slide them around a bit to ensure the oil reaches the slices. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Mix together the maple syrup, miso, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, brush the slices with the marinade, and bake for about 10 minutes.

2. While the steaks are in the oven, roughly chop the remaining cauliflower (approx. 500 g), simmer with 200 ml water - preferably the cauliflower water (or vegetable stock ) and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes until soft, then blend with a hand blender until very creamy.

3. For my salmoriglio, a preparation halfway between a salsa and a small salad, crumble the oregano, chop the garlic, and place it in a bowl with the olives. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and pour it into the bowl. This allows the oregano's aroma to develop, the garlic to cook gently, and the olives to warm through. Peel the lemon zest very thinly and cut into fine strips. Squeeze out the juice, then add a little salt. Cut the celery stalks into very thin slices; if any leaves are attached, chop them as well. Pluck the tarragon leaves, and halve, quarter, or dice the tomatoes, depending on their size. Add all ingredients to the olives and oregano along with the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.

4. Serve the cauliflower steaks with the puree, form a well in the puree and distribute the salmoriglio inside.

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