So first, lets set the stage for the cauliflower.
Take a head or two, chop it up (yes even the stem) into smallish (bite size) bits. Spread on a sheet pan. Douse with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss evenly.
Put in convection oven for 375-400F untill golden and carmelized. AKA cooked to perfection. This is pretty critical but on the plus side overcooking is far more desireable than undercooking. Undercooked and it is mushy, overcooked and it is brilliantly complex, loaded with umami. Downside of overcooking is reducing volume. But always, err on the side of overcooking.
Also keep in mind it can be held for a while once cooked w/o suffering in texture flavor of awesomeness.
Now here's the conceptual side/change.
Use the roasted Cauliflower (I used Purple today becuase, WF has purple, orange and white all at the same price and why the fuck NOT go with some cool fancy color?) Now use the roasted cauliflower in place of pasta.
Wut? Yup. You know you eat too many grain based foods. You know that shit is wikked bad for you. It is tolerable but finding things to replace it aren't so bad. No?
Okay, that clear Cauliflower is roasted and amazing and there isn't a millimeter size florette left at the moment after tonights dinner.
To be honest, I just checked, there are a few mm size florettes. That is it though. I think I'll probably be licking the sheet pan clean tonight.
Now on to the Mushroom Sauce.
Now how to say, is it a mushroom sauce, or is it a tomato based sauce with mushrooms?
Here's the break down, there were 4 portabello mushroom caps in there and 4 babby bellas (yeah I know they are just tiny portabello mushrooms but they needed to be used and well got added... so?) in the sauce.
The sauce, it is elaborate, complex and something I've been working on for close to 30 years. No Joke.
Think "Big Night" (1996) level history on the sauce.
This isn't a vegan sauce (although could be made just as awesome in vegan mode but I didn't), and this sauce isn't creamy or only mushrooms. It isn't your grandmother's/mother's can of cream of mushroom soup sauce. This is legit all alone. Sort of.
The foundations of Italian cooking are well documented. Watch some of the PBS chefs, read a few books, and practice and you'll figure it out.
Combine it with the Japanese awareness of Umami and you'll figure it out. Honestly that Umami this is the king pin, the ultimate tie that binds the best food together. If you lose the umami you lose the audience.
Umami rules all. Once you realize you've been hanging with the asshole sugar and the fake bullshit varnished but unsubstantial facade and discover Umami, your mind will be blown.
But hey. Don't mess with Professor Noakes, that guy is smart and knows his shit and is, yes, likely to agree with me.
TO THE SAUCE.
I'm not going to go through the depatures on how to make this vegan, although, my brother and pretty much any other vegans who cook brilliantly can figure it out and be considerate enough to understand my process and recognize the sequence required to make it vegan. Now that said: I'd be happy to have vegan house guests to cook this for, I am 100% confident I can make this as delicious for anyone. How's that for attitude and confidence? I have little confidence outside of the kitchen, please be nice, I'm a big guy but pretty fragile emotionally. Just as GEmoWilli.
0.75# of grass fed ground beef into a stockpot. cook until mostly brown.
Add some Fennel seed (whole) 1 tsp to 1 tblsp
cook and stirr
add a splash of extra virgin olive oil
add one diced onion
add one diced red pepper
sitrr and sautee and cook until onions are clear and peppers are soft and fragrent.
Add 1tsp-1tblsp of balsalmic vinegar and cook and stirr until evaporated
Now chop the mushrooms, in this case 4 portabello caps and 4 baby bella mushrooms.
Put them in the pot. Stirr.
Add a splash or two more of balsalmic vinegar.
Stirr.
Add 1 cup of red wine (cheap or not cheap, up to your budget, i used cheap)
Stirr and mix. Let it cook and simmer at med/med-low heat. Not blazing hot but not tepid temps.
Add some dried oregano and dried basil now. Mix.
Should be soupy a bit.
Now. Add two 28oz cans of organic crushed tomatoes. Yes, two. I could have gone with one but hey, this sauce is something you're going to want to eat with a spoon.
Mix that up, now add 6 cloves of garlic (with a Zyliss press), and then another cup of the red wine.
And some salt. Lots of salt. And fresh black pepper, and maybe a bit more oregano and basil.
Mix.
And let simmer at low heat.
and mix...
and simmer...
and mix...
and taste.
Adjust seasoning if needed.
And keep simmering until your patience wears out. Beacuse perfection in the kitchen can't be rushed. You must pay attention to every fucking detail. And consider all the vairables.
Cooking is in the details. The timing, the feel, the flavors, the smells, the process.
The end result is a rich smooth delicious mushroom heavy red tomato sauce served over the most savory and amazing veggie.
if I had a restaurant, this would be a signature dish. And I would have three sauces, no not four. One vegan, one mushroom free with meat and one like I made tonight. All served over the same thing.
I think for visuals maybe using a mix of purple, orange and white cauliflower would be pretty outsanding but in all honestly, it gets completely drowned in this sauce to the point that it could all be just boring white cauliflower. That said, it doesn't start off that way and the purple stuff roasts brilliantly.
So that's about it.
I'm probably accidentally omitting all the secrets of absolute timing i've taken for granted by constantly overthinking and perfecting the process these last 30+ years. And yes. First thing I started cooking was peanut butter cookies. Second thing? Tomato based sauce.
There's significantly more flexibility/forgiveness in tomato sauce than peanut butter cookies fwiw.
Dinner was delicious, K and I enjoyed it. Maybe this helps you to recreate it. Of couse and as always, please ask questions if something seems unclear, that's my gift, I can explain everything down to the minutia, and often glance over some details that seem insignificant to me but prove to be otherwise to others.
take this recipe with blessing and all my love.
That's why I cook. I pour my soul into the process to nurture those who eat my food. not quite "like water for chocolate" (1992 film) level, but can anything in real live be that passionate? We can only strive to provide as best we can for those we love.
This process is just an example, documentation of it...
heddwch
G
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