Cauliflower, mushrooms and tomatoes, North-Indian style

OK, another dish based on roasted cauliflower. What can I say? But so did everyone else I served it to. And this one has a few twists.

Cauliflower, mushrooms and tomatoes, North-Indian style

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower
• vegetable-oil spray
• 1-3 tablespoons oil (we have been using canola which is said to be high in Omega-3's and it came out fine
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seed (my wife informed me after finishing the leftovers that she's not sure how she feels about cumin, so I will probably cut it back to a teaspoon next time, which is probably a more "authentic" amount in any case)
  
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 hot green pepper, chopped; seed it if you don't want the dish so spicy
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
• salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms (or more if you want)
• 1 small can whole Italian cherry tomatoes (I used the del Valle brand) or 1 cup fresh; if you use fresh, halve them before adding.
  
• about 1/4 teaspoon garam masala or roasted grown cumin seed
• small handful of chopped fresh coriander (if you remember, I forgot)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the cauliflower into medium florets. Be sure to trim the stem of tough parts and use that two. Take the larger leaves strip off the greens, wash very well, and cut the cores of the leaves into 1 inch pieces.
3. Spray a foil lined baking sheet with vegetable spray, put the cauliflower on it, and spray again. Roast about 15 minutes. Then broil on high in the middle of the oven for about 5-10 more minutes until brown, being careful not to overcook. Take it out of the oven and set aside.
4. While this is going on, clean the mushrooms. Don't listen to people who tell you that you need to wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. It's a waste of time. Dump them into a large bowl of water and swish around a bit. This removes almost all the dirt very quickly. Then take them out, and cut the large ones in quarters and the small ones in half, wiping off any dirt that remains. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on high until hot.
6. Add cumin seeds and fry about one minute, being careful not to burn.
7. Add onion, salt, and continue to cook on high until it starts to brown at the edges.
8. Add ginger, garlic and chili and saute another minute. Add turmeric stir a few seconds, and then add coriander. Turn the heat down and cook a minute or two to remove the raw aromas, being careful not to burn.
9. Add mushrooms and more salt. Turn heat up to high, and stir-fry until mushrooms are brown. (They will throw off their liquid, and brown after it evaporates. The bigger the skillet and the higher the heat, the quicker it will go.
10. Add the can of tomatoes with their liquid, and cook on high about 5-10 minutes.
11. Add the cauliflower and cook until it is done to your taste.
    
12. Correct for salt, sprinkle with garam masala, and serve garnished with fresh coriander, if you remember.

Serves 4-8, depending on what else you are serving.

Cauliflower leaves???: You are paying for them, why not use them? When cooked, this way, the cores of the leaves have a nice, juicy-crunchy texture. If you are not roasting, you can leave the greens on too. If you buy a cauliflower in high season at a farmers market, there may be more leaves than you want in the dish, but if you use a supermarket cauliflower you will get about the right amount.