Whole roasted cauliflower in smoky tomato sauce

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease an oven-safe casserole dish or glass bowl, preferably with a lid. Wash cauliflower well. Grate cheese into a medium-sized bowl.

Step 2

In another bowl, combine half the cheese with the cream, salt and black pepper. Using your hands, rub the cream and cheese mixture all over the cauliflower, ensuring it coats everything and gets between the florets and into the crevices. Place cauliflower into oiled dish.

Step 3

Finely chop 1 tbsp of smoky chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (about 1/4 of a pepper with sauce). if you don't have a jar of chipotle peppers, have no fear - mix in 1 tsp of smoked paprika into 1 TB of tomato paste. Add chopped pepper and sauce to half a cup of strained tomatoes (or tomato sauce, if that's what you've got). With a spoon, pour the smoky tomato sauce over cauliflower, creating the effect of dripping blood.

Step 4

Cover the casserole dish with a lid; if you don't have a dish with a lid big enough to cover your cauliflower, fashion a cover out of aluminum foil, but try to avoid touch between the cauliflower itself and the aluminum (it can smear the cheese and sauce off).

Step 5

Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes. Test cauliflower by piercing it with a fork; if it goes through fairly easily or with just a bit of resistance, remove the lid and let the cauliflower finish baking for another 15 minutes, the last five on the grill/ broil setting. If cauliflower is still fairly firm, increase heat to 400F and let it cook with the lid for another five minutes before testing it again, and then continuing to cook for another 15 without the lid.