Red Wine Braised Head of Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, washed, with all leaves and trimmings left on,
1 brown onion, thinly sliced,
100g mushrooms (ideally shiitake but chestnuts or buttons will work too), roughly chopped,
2 cloves garlic, finely minced,
300ml red wine,
2.5 tbsp soy sauce,
1 tbsp tomato puree,
4-5 thyme sprigs,
2 bay leaves,
1 sheet of kombu (about 5 grams),
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled,
1 shallot, finely diced,
1 tsp lemon juice,
Roughly chopped parsley to garnish.

Method:

Place a large pot over medium high heat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and mushroom and cook down for 3-4 minutes, or until soft and slightly brown. Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the soy sauce and tomato puree and mix well, forming a fond on the bottom of the pot. Deglaze with 200ml of the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Add in the thyme, bay leaves, kombu, and ginger.
Add the whole head of cauliflower into the pot, making sure that the stem and leaves are submerged below the liquid. These are the toughest parts of the plant and they will benefit the most from being cooked in a moist environment. Add a little water if the level is too low.
Partially cover the pot and place it in an oven preheated to 110 C. If your pot is not oven-safe, transfer the cauliflower and liquid to a casserole or baking dish with high sides and cover tightly with aluminium foil, leaving one corner folded back for steam to escape.
Braise the cauliflower in the liquid for 3 to 4 hours, or until the bottom half of the head is soft enough for a knife to pass through it easily and the top part is slightly darkened and charred.

Remove the cauliflower from the braising liquid and let cool. Cut it into chunks and set aside. Strain the solids out of the liquid and set the liquid aside (you can discard the solids or blend them into a very flavourful paste to add into future soups and sauces).
The next step is to make a reduction sauce using the remaining red wine and the braising liquid. Place a wide skillet over medium high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the shallot and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring and tossing often so that they do not get too dark, but get very soft. Add the remaining 100ml of red wine and simmer for 7-10 minutes or until it has reduced into a very shiny glaze.
Add the braising liquid into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce to a similarly thick glaze. Once you can dip a spoon into the sauce and it coats the back of the spoon, the sauce is ready. Season well with salt and pepper and add in the lemon juice. Adjust for your own taste if you think it needs more acid or salt.
Add the cauliflower chunks into the sauce and toss around to coat and to heat up the cauliflower. Serve over rice or potatoes and garnish with some roughly chopped parsley.