Slow Cooker
Pasta with Slow-Cooked Cauliflower, Anchovies, and Garlic
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61 Reviews
sassiuna
November 15, 2020
Nice simple preparation. Made with a beautiful large, head of romanesco broccoli and a full pound of linguine. Added the zest of a small lemon to the breadcrumbs and a tablespoon of capers when adding the garlic and anchovy. Served with some nice extra virgin olive oil at the table to drizzle on top. Really let the flavor and beauty of the romanesco come through (look for it in your farmers market)
Lindsey S.
May 13, 2020
This is a delicious pasta. We went heavy handed with the chili flake and garlic which I recommend if you like kick. The breadcrumbs make it terrific -- we also added some chopped fresh parsley at the end. My kids both added a squeeze of lemon for a bit of acid. My only quibble is that a half box of pasta would never serve my family of four so I doubled the recipe.
Lily A.
November 16, 2017
I love these flavors together -- all the cauliflower at the supermarket was 3 pounds+ so i cooked the whole pound of pasta, all the anchovies in the tin, about four cloves of garlic, and a whole teaspoon of chili flake. I felt like it needed some acid at the end, so I added about a 1/4 C of capers and brine before i tasted for salt at the end. Delicious! I like cauliflower more dry and al dente so next time I don't think I would blanch it first, mine all kind of dissolved into a sauce.
Wannaworship
October 19, 2017
After an Italian introduced me to this dish, I was hooked. Happily I found your recipe when I googled the ingredients!! Thank you from the bottom of my stomach - This is the only pasta dish I will eat!!
betty H.
September 22, 2017
Half a pound of pasta for 4 people and a quarter cauliflower? you are either all on a starvation diet, or we are very greedy! :-)
Cheryl
June 26, 2017
Oh so yummy and comforting. I just cooked the cauliflower in a little water in a large skillet with lid. Then after the cauliflower was a bit tender, browned it in the skillet. Didn't bother to make a paste of the garlic and anchovy, just added them to the pan and sauteed briefly at the end. I used gluten free small pasta shells. Will definitely make again.
Frances
January 29, 2017
This was an amazing recipe. Replaced the rosemary with parsley and added green onions because I needed to use them up and omitted anchovies for veg version.
Alexandra S.
January 29, 2017
Nice! So happy to hear this. Thanks for sharing your variations, all of which sound delicious!
Jesica
January 24, 2017
I'm planning to make this receipe as dinner tonight, quick question: can i replace the cauliflower for broccoli?
Alexandra S.
January 24, 2017
I can't say for sure. Broccoli and cauliflower don't cook exactly the same, but because of this genius broccoli cooked forever recipe (https://food52.com/recipes/15632-roy-finamore-s-broccoli-cooked-forever), something tells me it will. You have to be OK with not al dente vegetables with this one. Hope that helps!
Alison
January 14, 2017
Delicious! I think my cauliflower was a little smaller than 2 pounds (should have actually weighed it), but I don't think it affected the outcome much. I chopped into smaller florets, like one of the other reviewers. I used 3 small cloves of garlic (from the interior of the head) and about 2/3 cup of toasted bread crumbs (which really added to the flavors, to my surprise, as well as adding a nice crunch). The cooking time for the cauliflower is pretty accurate, and resulted in a lovely caramelized flavor to go along with the garlic and anchovies. The anchovy flavor didn't overpower the rest of the dish, since they essentially dissolve into the coating on the veggies.
Alison
January 7, 2018
I have been making this ever since I first tried it, and still love it. I occasionally add more anchovy and/or garlic, but basically make it as written. However, one option I have added is making the cauliflower with a little less anchovy and serving it without the pasta as a side dish with other mains--it works really well that way, too. thanks again for this recipe!
Dave
October 16, 2016
Love the flavor of this dish! Substituted farro for the pasta & skipped the bread crumbs. The sauce took to the grain great!
Transcendancing
March 6, 2016
How strong does the anchovy flavour come through at the end? I'm only a recent convert to the melting-disintegration umami properties of anchovy (and I still find myself using them sparingly). However, this looks so great and I do want to try it, but want to work out if I'd be making something I wouldn't eat myself (but the household would devour). Thanks!
Alexandra S.
March 6, 2016
It's really not too strong, but if you are nervous, I suggest using 2 anchovies — there is enough flavor coming from the other ingredients, that an anchovy or two left out won't impact the final dish drastically. I say go for it! I love this pasta recipe, and I love the cookbook it comes from.
Transcendancing
March 6, 2016
Awesome! I will try it with less anchovy - hopefully sometime this week. It does look *delicious*
whatshername
February 28, 2016
This is awesome! I love the flavor profiles. So adding this in my rotation!
whatshername
February 28, 2016
As a side note, the cauliflower stands on its own. It would make an awesome side dish!
Alexandra S.
February 28, 2016
Yay! So happy to hear this! I love this flavor combination as well — you are so right about the cauliflower being able to stand on its own.
elizabeth
July 2, 2015
Made this tonight and it was delicious! It looked nothing like the picture--I kept the cauliflower large because I wanted it to be the star and I used pappardelle which absorbed the flavors deliciously...I also chose to toast walnuts in lieu of the breadcrumbs. It was a great dinner. Thank you!
Alexandra S.
July 3, 2015
Wonderful to hear this! I love pappardelle. Walnuts sound like a nice match for all of the flavors here, too. Yum.
Tonya
April 7, 2015
This definitely became my favourite pasta dish! All the flavours are just amazing together. I do break my cauliflower into quite small florets so they mimic the size of the pasta and also add parsley and lemon zest to the bread crumbs. Love this dish, thank you!
Alexandra S.
July 3, 2015
So happy to hear this! And sorry I'm just seeing this now. Love the idea of adding parsley and lemon zest to the crumbs. Yum!
kara
February 20, 2015
I've got a tin of smoked herring fillets. Would they work as a substitute for the anchovies?
Alexandra S.
July 3, 2015
Hi Kara,
Ao sorry I'm just seeing this! Unfortunately, I don't think smoked herring fillets will over quite the same flavor as the anchovies — I'm worried that the smoky flavor will dominate rather than provide that salty, umami flavor that anchovies provide. Of course you could try, but I suspect the dish will just be different. Let me know if you give it a go!
Ao sorry I'm just seeing this! Unfortunately, I don't think smoked herring fillets will over quite the same flavor as the anchovies — I'm worried that the smoky flavor will dominate rather than provide that salty, umami flavor that anchovies provide. Of course you could try, but I suspect the dish will just be different. Let me know if you give it a go!
wordridden
January 8, 2015
This is delicious, thank you! I also added parsley and lemon zest with the anchovies, and even added a tiny squeeze of lemon at the end. And instead of chopped rosemary, I threw a whole sprig in with the cauliflower as it cooked in the olive oil so it infused the oil for a gentler flavor.
Alexandra S.
July 3, 2015
Genius! Love the idea of infusing the olive oil with the rosemary especially since rosemary can easily be overdone. And a squeeze of lemon at the end sounds nice, too.
AntoniaJames
December 30, 2014
Whoa. How did I miss this one? Alexandra, what brand of whole wheat pasta do you like? It hasn't been universally embraced in my household, though I have reason to believe (especially with a recipe like this one) that could change. Thank you. ;o)
Alexandra S.
December 30, 2014
It hasn't in my household either :) I think I just use Barilla whole wheat elbows here. I like DeCecco brand, too. Both of those you can find anywhere. If you feel like exploring other options though, awhile ago now, I tried some buckwheat pasta — I forget the brand — and it was so tasty. I feel like that would be really good in this dish. Happy New Year!!
Miriam G.
December 4, 2014
This was terrific. Lots of umami. I added chopped spinach and halved cherry tomatoes along with the anchovy/garlic paste. I
ARay
October 19, 2014
Hi friends, anybody got anchovy suggesions? Brands / types you might use here? Cheers! - Anne
Alexandra S.
October 20, 2014
Hi ARay,
If you are feeling hardcore, these Italian, salt-packed are wonderful: http://www.amazon.com/Agostino-Recca-Anchovies-Salted-Whole/dp/B0050ILYRA They are a little more work than the oil-packed ones, but they kind of are a treat. Also, the tin is beautiful. I made a lamp out of it once I cleaned out. Really, I did. This Food52 post shows how to peel the salt-packed ones: https://food52.com/blog/4516-anna-klinger-s-grilled-chard-stems-with-anchovy-vinaigrette
But as far as oil-packed go, I'm really not too picky. I've had luck with the Cento brand that's in a tin at most grocery stores and the jarred Ortiz brand. Hope that helps!
If you are feeling hardcore, these Italian, salt-packed are wonderful: http://www.amazon.com/Agostino-Recca-Anchovies-Salted-Whole/dp/B0050ILYRA They are a little more work than the oil-packed ones, but they kind of are a treat. Also, the tin is beautiful. I made a lamp out of it once I cleaned out. Really, I did. This Food52 post shows how to peel the salt-packed ones: https://food52.com/blog/4516-anna-klinger-s-grilled-chard-stems-with-anchovy-vinaigrette
But as far as oil-packed go, I'm really not too picky. I've had luck with the Cento brand that's in a tin at most grocery stores and the jarred Ortiz brand. Hope that helps!
Kathi K.
October 13, 2014
Anything to substitute for anchovies? My kids won't eat them ... tx!
Alexandra S.
October 13, 2014
Hmmm... are they like super tasters and will know the anchovies are in there even if they have totally disintegrated into the sauce? (I am not questioning you...my children can detect things I am convinced I can slip by them.) Maybe just sauté some onions along with the cauliflower (being careful not to burn them...a separate pan might be best) until they are caramelized?
shereen
October 9, 2014
Just made this and it was utterly delicious. I did adjust it a bit, I added parsley and lemon zest to the paste and a dash of cream at the end.
Alexandra S.
October 9, 2014
So happy to hear this! I love the idea of lemon zest and parsley — something to add a bit of freshness and brightness to the dish. Definitely doing this next time. And, well, the addition of cream is always a good idea if you ask me :)
Alyson
October 8, 2014
Curious what if anything you would serve along side of this?
Alexandra S.
October 8, 2014
I think a simple green salad would be really nice — just something light and fresh. We've been getting delicious arugula in our CSA, and I think a simple arugula/shaved parm/lemon dressing would be so nice here. The flavors in the pasta are strong so other salads that come to mind (shaved fennel with beets and oranges) might compete too much? I don't know, a simple shaved fennel salad might actually work here. Hope that helps!
cucina D.
October 6, 2014
my famiglia is from Outside of Roa and this is a classic on our table, well done and thank you for reminding me to make this as enter the fall season :)
Alexandra S.
October 6, 2014
So fun to hear this. There are so many other Roman dishes in the book, and every time I open the book I get overwhelmed, especially with the seafood pastas — they all look so good. Wonderful to hear this one is a classic with your family.
Eve L.
October 5, 2014
I can't wait to try this recipe! My father is my inspiration in the kitchen and he learned to cook pasta as a student at the American Academy in Rome. He would have loved this dish and I will imagine him at my side while I make this, urging me to add a little bit more anchovy and to make sure the pasta is al dente.
Alexandra S.
October 6, 2014
Amazing! How fun. A friend introduced me to this cookbook and reading it fills me with serious wanderlust. The book gives great guidance re cooking al dente — somewhere it recommends cooking the pasta 3 minutes less than the suggested cooking time and then allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce. Makes sense. Thanks for sharing the story about your father!
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