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If cheese sauce is all you’ve ever had in the
way of broccoli and its kissing cousin, cauliflower, then we need to talk. It is hard to mention one without the other, given the
popularity of the newfangled hybrid Broccoflower, plus cauliflower is
available not just in traditional virgin snow white but in shades of funky
green and Barney purple as well. A food fight nearly broke out at a Seattle
restaurant where four of us were debating whether our fab cauliflower dish
was in fact broccoli. The reason to love cauliflower over broccoli is its
elegance and grace. It never tastes like a tree trunk, and it takes on any
flavor you wish, particularly if you roast it. Cauliflower loves a hot oven. Roasting is a surefire
way to tenderize those florets and allow seasonings to soak in. The
accompanying recipe is inspired by the aforementioned Seattle food fight.
Done up Sicilian-style, with a sweet-savory combination of raisins, pine
nuts, garlic, anchovies, and bread crumbs, this dish is intense without
being rich. I re-created it with pasta, but it works beautifully
all by its glorious lonesome.
CAULIFLOWER SICILIAN-STYLE
One head white, green, or purple cauliflower, cleaned,
trimmed, and cut into florets, about 1 pound Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 cup raisins, soaked in 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup pine nuts Four cloves garlic, smashed Three or four anchovy fillets, chopped At least 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs, up to 1/2 cup 1/2 pound short pasta such as penne, farfalle, or
gemelli 1 teaspoon salt Shaved Parmesan (optional) Small handful chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower in
baking dish. Add olive oil to florets so that they are generously coated.
Season with salt and pepper. Add raisins and wine, pine nuts, garlic, and
anchovies, and stir to combine. Sprinkle breadcrumbs generously on top.
Bake uncovered until fork tender, approximately 45
minutes. After 20 minutes, check the liquid level; if the wine is
completely evaporated, add a few ounces of water to keep the raisins from
burning. For pasta, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1
teaspoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
Drain and pour into serving bowl. Pour cauliflower and trimmings over pasta
and mix to combine. Add Parmesan, if you are using it, and garnish with
parsley. Makes three or four servings.
Culinary questions? Contact Kim O’Donnel at kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2007.
