Pasta con i Cavolfiori | The Foodie Pilgrim

By John, 9 August, 2020

Region

Description

I found some beautiful green cauliflower at Beth's Farm Market in Warren, Maine, so I knew that it was time to make this interesting and delicious veggie pasta dish that I'd had my eye on. It includes golden raisins and pine nuts, and a little bit of saffron, like many Venetian recipes.

This is a Sicilian recipe, and Sicily produces some enormous cauliflowers in purple, green, and golden colors. At Beth's the green one looked the best, so that's what I used for dinner for the two of us, but if I were making a bigger batch I'd like to mix colors and see how that looks.

Yield

4 Servings

Preparation time

30 minutes

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower (cut into florets)

2 T golden raisins

2 T Olive oil

1 Onion (chopped)

3 Anchovies (rinsed)

2 T Pine Nuts

1⁄2 t Saffron threads

1 lb Short Pasta

1 c Pecorino Romano Cheese (grated)

4 T Bread Crumbs (toasted)

Instructions

Put on a big pot of water to boil.
When it boils, cook the cauliflower florets two minutes, until tender, then transfer to a bowl for later.
With a strainer, cook the raisins for a minute or two to soften them, then drain them and put them in a little bowl for later. Keep the water boiling for the pasta.
In a skillet, saute the onion in the oil about 5 minutes, until translucent,
Add the anchovies and mash them into the oil until they go to pieces.
Add the raisins, pine nuts, and saffron threads and stir it all together.
Add the cauliflower and a cup of the boiling pasta water. Stir it all together and then let it reduce at a simmer while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pasta.
Drain the pasta and then toss it with the cheese, then add the sauce. Serve hot with breadcrumbs on top.

Notes

I skipped the breadcrumbs, so they're not in the photo. Maybe you'll like them better than I do.

Source

Sicily the Cookbook