Author Notes
I was on a roasted cauliflower kick, when I felt like doing something a bit different. I rummaged around, and made this with what was in my kitchen. I prefer recipes that are easy to prepare, but don't taste that way :). Simplicity is sometimes better, allowing you to savor all the flavors without being overwhelmed. I hope this recipe does that for you. —rhinna
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Ingredients
- Bread Crumb Topping
-
1 cup
panko bread crumbs
-
2 tablespoons
butter
-
2
cloves garlic, minced
- Pasta and Sauce
-
1/4 cup
EVOO (more or less)
-
2
cloves garlic diced
-
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoons
red pepper flakes
-
2
anchovy filets crushed to a paste
-
2 tablespoons
capers
-
Juice from 1/2 small lemon
-
1/2 cup
chopped flat leaf parsley
-
1/2 cup
Freshly grated Romano Cheese
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1/3-1/2 cups
vegetable or chicken broth
-
3 ounces
chopped pancetta
-
1/3 cup
chopped walnuts
-
1
head of Cauliflower, broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces
-
2-3 tablespoons
EVOO (for Cauliflower)
-
Salt and Pepper to taste
-
8 ounces
Penne pasta cooked, drained
Directions
- Bread Crumb Topping
-
Brown the breadcrumbs in a frying pan on medium heat, stirring frequently until golden. Remove from pan, set aside.
In the same pan, melt the butter, then add the garlic - cook for a few minutes medium low, until garlic is tender. Remove from heat, add the breadcrumbs and toss. Set aside.
- Pasta and Sauce
-
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
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Toss Cauliflower with 2-3 TBS of EVOO, place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes, turning/stirring about every ten minutes or until brown. Set aside.
-
Heat the EVOO for the sauce in a large pan - add the garlic and pancetta - cook over medium heat until the pancetta begins to brown.
-
Add the red pepper, anchovies, capers. Continue cooking until pancetta is golden. Toss in the parsley, squeeze in the lemon juice, add the cauliflower and walnuts and combine all.
-
Place pasta in a serving dish, and pour sauce over. Add about 1/3 cup broth, mixing until pasta is evenly coated. (It will "thin out" the pancetta/cauliflower mixture a bit and allow more even coating)
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Add romano cheese, toss again.
-
Garnish with a generous sprinkling of garlic breadcrumbs and serve immediately with extra romano cheese for sprinkling.
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