$5 Dinner: Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower and Penne
Lately, most people I know have been hunkering down with a big bowl of noodles at least once a week. And rightfully so: the indignities of making our way through the cold and muscling into boots calls for dinner in a bowl, and preferably one that will leave you in a blissed-out carbohydrate haze. Sometimes, though, those of us who do not excel in the ways of moderation end up regretting it afterward. I like to think that if a healthy dose of cruciferous vegetable gets folded in with a wheaty tangle, the same comfort level can still be achieved and the bloated guilt diminished. At least, that’s the idea.
It wasn’t until recently that I began to explore cauliflower’s charms. I’ve always loved it as a crudité, but when it came into my life as a gratin, a soup, and most recently in Sebastian’s off-the-cuff red vegetable curry, I could feel myself falling in love. I doubt that cauliflower will stir the passion nor the vitriol sardines recently did, but that’s okay. Cauliflower is cool — a laid-back, mellow, vegetable that hangs around in the background until you need it to take center stage. It doesn’t need to live in the spotlight, but when it does, it really steals the show. And in a quietly confident way I sort of love.
Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower Pasta with Whole Wheat Penne
adapted from How to Cook Everything
Serves 4-6
The preparation of this dish is a little — I’ll admit — annoying. There are a lot of meanwhiles and the timing is important or you’ll be waiting for this or that, so I’ve left the basic preparation as Mr. Bittman wrote it, meanwhiles and all. Also, I’m usually one to skip a parsley garnish, but I happened to have some in the fridge and I must say — it does really add a level of bright freshness (and a much-needed shock of color) to an otherwise earthy dish that was rather lovely.
1 head cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, minced
6 anchovy fillets
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup golden raisins
minced fresh parsley for garnish
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the cauliflower and divide into florets. Salt the boiling water and cook the cauliflower in it until it is tender but not soft when pieced by a knife (it will continue to cook in the sauce). Remove the cauliflower and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed red pepper together in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat, mashing the anchovies as they cook, and stirring occasionally. When the garlic is golden, turn off the heat if you’re not ready to proceed.
Add the cauliflower to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring and mashing the cauliflower, until it is hot and quite soft.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. When the pasta is just about done, throw in the golden raisins to help them soften and plump up. Drain pasta and raisins, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and raisins to the skillet with the cauliflower and toss with a large spoon until well combined. Add salt and pepper, along with some of the pasta water to keep the mixture from drying out. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Laura F.: If you are on a cauliflower kick (which I am, as well), try Mark Bittman’s cauliflower flatbread. It is a-mazing: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/dining/22mini.html2 years ago
Brilliant! Thank you, Laura!2 years ago
Katie: Looks so good, I want to go home and make right this instant! And I’m going to have to try that cauliflower flatbread as well! Dee-lish.2 years ago
WannaBePinkTeri: And I’ve just been told to avoid wheat if possible…time to try it with rice pasta? Does anyone know if it’s any good???2 years ago
Lydia: You just have to try it roasted. I don’t remember where I read about it, but roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper (and some curry powder if I remember) is the only way I go anymore. It’s amazing. In fact, I’m making the cauliflower risotto from Jamie’s Italy for dinner tonight!2 years ago
Sweetpatootie: I’ve found that rice pasta has a little different texture and is stickier than wheat pasta; taste test frequently during cooking. If you can’t have wheat, this works OK.2 years ago
Kristina: I loves me some cauliflower, too! I was really digging it in the roasted vegs I made this week– it soaked up the flavors from all the other vegetables in the mix, and was all sweet and a little bit crunchy on top of that, to boot. Roasting is definitely my favorite way to prep it– a drizzle of oil and some salt, and you can almost pretend you’re eating popcorn. Almost.2 years ago
Avril: Oh thank you Sarah! Cauliflower is a very popular vegetable in Indian cooking, but I’ve always wanted to use this simple vegetable in a recipe that didn’t call for too much preparation. Cauli + Pasta = I’m gonna try this soon! xoxo2 years ago
Mélanie: My new favorite way to eat cauliflower is roasted. I separe the cauliflower into florets, add some lemon zest, a teaspoon olive oil, and coriander, and roast it 15mn in the oven. It’s delicious, cheap, and completely healthy! I hope you’ll try it2 years ago
Julia: hmm, I was with you up until the anchovies… Guess you could leave them out though. Or substitute for cheese, mwahaha. Speaking of cheese, cauliflower (boiled until slightly soft) + cheese sauce = really tasty dish that has the dual benefit of being veg. based, and being covered in cheese!2 years ago
You guys have sold me on the roasted cauliflower. And I know just the recipe I’m going to try!2 years ago
smilinggreenmom: Oh our family just loves cauliflower! I would love to try this – and for the penne, I could even use our most favorite Kamut khorasan wheat pasta!! This sounds great – minus the anchovies lol!2 years ago
Margaret: Wow- I just made this, and it was amazing! Quite unlike what I expected when I put the first bite in my mouth, since it didn’t smell that flavorful… I used elbow pasta instead, since I have boxes of it from Costco to use up, and it worked fine. I didn’t need to add in pasta water at the end, but maybe that’s because I halved some ingredients (cauliflower, red pepper) by necessity and not others (garlic, anchovies). I also put some chili powder in when the big red pepper didn’t seem to make the sauce ‘pop.’ Then I also had some turkey breast slices to use up… at any rate, the end product was scrumptious, and thanks to your recipe!
This was also my first time using anchovies. I am totally making this next time though: http://www.trinigourmet.com/index.php/sardine-pate-recipe/ Thanks for all the wonderful tips, Sarah!1 year ago
michial: I am slowly becoming in love with your recipes! I am a single gay man and love to cook, and am always looking for economical (not gross or totally artificial) foods. This really tasted delicious. My grocery store didn’t have anchovies, so I used the equivalent of sardines. Also, I added sundried tomatoes to the cauliflower/sardine mixture for about 4 or 5 minutes before done. Simply lovely!
be blessed1 year ago
michial: Also, now reading back through other comments… if you love cauliflower try mashed cauliflower! (sort of like mashed potatoes).1 year ago
I’m so delighted to hear that, Michial! Everything I make is really simple, and I a lot of the recipes I scale down for two people: dinner for you + lunch tomorrow!1 year ago