A Cauliflower Pasta That's Anything But Boring

 

Now I know what you’re thinking – Cauliflower can be bland and boring?! But let me tell you – When cauliflower is roasted in a skillet, it gets a slightly nutty flavour which we combine with garlicky butter tossed through the pasta with lemon and chili…WOW.

This week we also introduce you to “Pangrattato”, known as the “poor man’s parmesan” which was invented as an economical substitute for parmesan. It’s just small chunky bits of bread, toasted with olive oil and seasoned with salt – and you can sprinkle it on ANYTHING to give you salty bursts of crunch! Elevating the most ordinary dishes to extraordinary!

Garlic Butter Cauliflower Pasta

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 hours

 
 

Ingredients

1 to 2 slices bread , crusts removed, preferably stale (enough to make 1/2 cup)

Oil spray (preferably olive oil)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves , crushed

1/2 large head of cauliflower , cut into florets about 5cm long (about 4 to 5 cups)

250 g short pasta of choice

1/2 red onion , thinly sliced

1/2 to 1 tsp red chili flakes

1 lemon: 2 tbsp lemon juice + zest of 1/2 the lemon

Salt & pepper

To serve:

Parmesan cheese , freshly grated

Fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)

Method

PANGRATTATO

  1. Dice the bread into small pieces - you want (at least!) 1/2 cup. Spray generously with oil.

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bread crumbs and saute for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the skillet into a bowl and sprinkle with salt.

CAULIFLOWER PASTA

  1. Return the skillet to the stove. Melt the butter then add the oil. When hot, add the chopped garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

  2. Add the cauliflower. Cook, stirring occasionally, for around 3 minutes, then add the red onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is beautiful golden brown but still a bit firm.

  3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water - 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time on the packet!

  4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Then drain the pasta or use tongs to transfer it directly to the skillet.

  5. Pour the reserved pasta cooking water into the skillet along with the red chili flakes, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Gently toss the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes, until the water evaporates - you will be left with a luscious coating of sauce on each strand of pasta (this is called emulsification) and the cauliflower will finish cooking.

  6. Remove from the stove. Grate over zest of 1/2 the lemon and drizzle over about 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Toss quickly.

  7. Serve, sprinkled with Pangrattato with freshly grated parmesan and parsley, if using.

 
THOMAS NEWFIELD