Tonight I'm making Siduri's cauliflower pasta!

So tonight I decided to go ahead and give Siduri's cauliflower pasta a try. Of course when I told my family I was making cauliflower pasta they looked bummed, so I really hope I can pull this one off!

I'll let you know how it turns out. So far I have my big saute pan with a thick layer of olive oil, a few red chili pepper flakes, some thick slices of garlic, and cauliflower and salt, on a very low burner. We're about 1h 1/4 before dinner time so I'm hoping that's plenty of time to reach the right color/taste.

My question to Siduri (if you read this) or to others is - what kind of pasta should I use? I don't think long pasta like spaghettis or fetuccinis are going to cut it here (because of the shape/size of the cauliflower florets), so I'm planning on using Farfalle. Good idea?

I'm really excited about this dish! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

Well I did it!

First, as I was doing it, the smell was amazing in the whole house. Not something you'd expect from cauliflower, right?

Next, everybody LOVED the dish. OK so my wife had one complaint, she felt it was a little greasy - but that's more of a diet-conscious complaint than a taste complaint, really.

Honestly, very, very good pasta dish. The cauliflower and garlic turned out to be perfectly golden brown. The cauliflower wasn't mushy as described by Siduri (maybe I didn't cook it long enough?), it still had a bite to it - but I kinda liked that. It cooked for 1h1/2 total.

And really, that totally nailed the goal of transferring the taste of "roasted" garlic & cauliflower to the pasta. You could take a bite of just pasta and still have all the taste.

I served it with some pork tenderloin medaillons, and a nice Pinot Noir. Simple but great meal.

Thanks Siduri!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

I went with the farfalle, and I thought that was a great choice to compliment the shape of the cauliflower florets.

 

In my case the cauliflower did not fall apart at all. The florets kept their integrity, they were fully cooked throughout (I cut them pretty small to begin with, they become even smaller as they cook), but still had a soft bite to them. I did not stir but I did sautee the contents of the pan (not sure about the terminology - I mean shaking the pan so the contents jump and move around in the pan). I did that once every 15mn or so.

At first I thought about finishing the plates with fresh parsley. I thought the pasta would look bland (white cauliflower on white pasta) and sprinkling some fresh parsley would make it look more appetizing. But once the dish was finished the cauliflower and garlic were so beautifully caramelized and light brown that the color was standing out against the white pasta. I didn't feel it needed the parsley so I didn'd add it. I'm sure it would have worked well with it, but I just don't think it needed anything else. I finished with a "healthy dose" of parmeggiano. Honestly I wouldn't add anything else.

It does not become a sauce, it's just the olive oil is infused with the flavors of the "pan roasted" (for lack of a better term?) garlic and cauliflower, and coats all the pasta, so the pasta itself has the taste of the aromatics. I wouldn't choose spaghetti because of the form factor. I'd be worried that with spaghetti all the cauliflower would end up sliding off the pasta. I think it needs some kind of wider pasta that can carry the cauliflower and garlic pieces.

I kept the pork medaillons very simple: salt, pepper, saute in olive oil. I would do the same with chicken, keep it simple, salt & pepper, grill or saute, maybe a bit of lemon juice and one or two herbs?

Hey if you make it let us know how it turns out for you? I'm sure I'll make this dish again, too.

 

Unfortunately I did not.

 

That's so true! But personally I think I actually enjoy the bite I get from the undercooked part where it is pinched. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

As soon as the pasta was almost cooked I threw it in the saute pan that had the cauliflower, tossed and finished cooking the pasta for a minute, then added the parmesan, tossed some more, adjusted the seasoning (mine was underseasoned) and served. I can see that's probably not the usual/best method for oil-based sauces? I learned that technique for tomato or cream based sauces, and I just automatically did the same for this one.

 

Sounds delicious Kouk'. A good red wine with all that?

 

Making this again tonight. The "sauce" is slowly heating up on the stove. There's a wonderful roasted garlic aroma in the whole house!!!

 

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

Just finished my second serving. Delicious! I need to add more meat-less recipes like this to my repertoire!!

 

My dad, who loves pasta, but can't cook, asked me today to teach him an easy dish. I just taught him that one, which is now simmering on the stove top. It went something like this:  

Me - Film your pan with olive oil, 

- Add your garlic slices, 

- Add the cauliflower florets,

- Salt, 

- Cover and let simmer for a couple hours.

Then I turn to him and tell him:

Me - That's it. It's easy, right?

Him (looking very disappointed) - That's it? No tomato sauce, nothing?

Me - Hahaha... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

My dad has always associated pasta with tomato sauce. He's in for a surprise.