Braised Cauliflower With Bacon

We saw Lidia Bastianich cook this on CreateTV this morning and had to try it! I had to guess-timate some of the times/amounts, but as she said, "You want to adjust the amounts based on the size of your cauliflower!" Easy and so tasty -- could be either a side dish or an entree.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1  cauliflower
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 3 -4  garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1⁄4 lb thick slab bacon (but large enough that you get an occasional bite) or 1⁄4 lb pancetta, cut in small pieces (but large enough that you get an occasional bite)
• 1  large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed in your hands (use good ones!)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more or less, to taste)
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove stem from cauliflower (but you can keep the leaves, if any -- they're delicious!).
2. Sauté garlic and bacon in olive oil in a large heavy pot until lightly browned. Add onions and continue to sauté until onions are softened.
3. Add cauliflower stem-side down. Pour tomatoes over and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for about an hour or until done (will depend on size of cauliflower -- mine took about 70 minutes).
4. Remove cauliflower, bring sauce to simmer and let reduce for a little while, then pour over cauliflower and serve.