Roasted Cauliflower with Mushroom Gravy
Recipe by Ali Lopez
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, diced medium
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound assorted mushrooms, chopped
Sea salt
3 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup red wine (or 1 tsp red wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 small head cauliflower (about 2 lbs.) – leaves and outer stalk trimmed off (make sure small stalk remains to hold cauliflower together)
4 big carrots, cut in thick chunks
4 medium potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 big onion, cut in thick wedges
1/2 cup vegetable stock
The Gravy
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, adding a few pitches of salt, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and the cornstarch to make a slurry, then set aside.
Add the thyme, sage and wine to the mushroom mixture and reduce until the wine is almost evaporated. Stir in the remaining vegetable broth and the tamari and maple syrup then bring to a boil. Whisk in the slurry and bring to a boil again. Season with the pepper and stir in the parsley. Keep warm until ready to serve.
The Roast
Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange the potatoes, onions and carrots in a roasting dish (or a big cast iron skillet works too) with the cauliflower in the center. Don’t crowd the dish. Place the cauliflower upside-down and pour 1/3 cup of the gravy into it. Give it a good shake to distribute the gravy. Place cauliflower right-side up and brush more gravy on the top to cover it. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the bottom of the dish (this will help steam the veggies.)
Pour about 1/3 cup of gravy over top of the veggies. Cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover and check to see if it feels tender (using a small knife it should go in easy) and then brush more gravy on. Bake for another 30 minutes, uncovered, or until tender. Remove from oven and serve with extra gravy on top or on the side. I like to carve in wedges like a cake but you can also cut in slices like steaks.
