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Dinner Tonight: Spaghetti with Sautéed Cauliflower, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

Posted by Blake Royer, December 13, 2007 at 4:15 PM

I'm on a bit of a pine nut and golden raisin kick—this is the second time this week (here's the first). The combination of sweet and tangy with fancy nuttiness is irresistible. So when I was flipping through Tyler Florence's Tyler's Ultimate and saw this, a Sicilian-style spaghetti turned on its head, everything was decided: A quickly steamed-then-browned head of cauliflower is brightened with parsley and lemon juice (those seem to be pasta-brightening standbys), made airy by crisp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), and richened with a little anchovy that reflects that nuttiness from the pine nuts. Although if anchovies scare you, they could be skipped. And the raisins are just there for fun.

I'm willing to call this one of my favorite pasta dishes yet. It's not the simplest to prepare the first time through—there are a few critical things to time—but I thought it would be. So I found myself running around the kitchen trying to attend to toasting breadcrumbs, the cheese shredder, and pasta dangerously close to mushy. I also underestimated how long the cauliflower would take to cook. But the second time through, I think this would be a breeze.

And there will be a second time. And a third, and a fourth.

Spaghetti With Sautéed Cauliflower, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

- serves 4 -

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cored and broken into bite-size florets.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets, smashed into a paste (use the side of a chef's knife)
1/4 cup raisins (I used my leftover goldens)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped, about 1/2 cup
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Freshly grated Parmesan to taste

Procedure

1. Bring a pot of salty water to boil, and preheat the oven to 350°F. In the meantime, put the cauliflower in a large skillet (12-inch, if possible) with 1/4 cup olive oil and the anchovy mash. Heat the oil over medium heat until the anchovies begin to sizzle, then add 1/4 cup water, season with salt, toss, and cover. Steam for 5 minutes until somewhat tender, then remove cover, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook until the water has evaporated and the cauliflower is well-browned in the remaining oil. Don't be afraid to get it nice and caramelized.

2. Once the cauliflower is started, spread the panko on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Toast in the oven until crunchy and browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Cook the pasta until al dente. (A few minutes before it's done, add the raisins and pine nuts to the cauliflower to warm them.) Drain the pasta, transfer to a serving bowl, and add the cauliflower mixture. Drizzle with olive oil, add the lemon juice and parsley, and toss. Transfer servings to plates, and top with panko, black pepper, and Parmesan. Dig in!

6 Comments | Tags: cauliflower, Dinner Tonight, pasta, pine nuts, raisins, spaghetti

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