Five Ways to Cook Asparagus (and Other Recipes) by Peter Miller

Author:Peter Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2017-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

Cauliflower with Penne Pasta and Pancetta Bread Crumbs

SERVES 4

I made this dish for many years before I made it correctly. It needed something—a detail. There is a recipe in the book Canal House Cooks Every Day that fixed it. Here is my version of it, with all credit to les Canalistes. It is just the thing, this bread crumb topping, with its salty bits of pork, the sweet prune, the crisp bread crumbs, a little spice, and a little pepper.

1 medium head cauliflower

2 prunes, chopped

1 tablespoon dry Marsala

4 tablespoons (½ stick/55 g) cold, unsalted butter

¼ pound (115 g) pancetta, sliced into skinny strips

1½ cups (150 g) crisp bread crumbs

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

½ pound (225 g) good-quality dried penne pasta

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Trim the cauliflower and set it in a large bowl of cold water to soak for 10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, soak the prunes in the Marsala. Drain both well.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the pancetta. Let it brown, stirring often. Add the bread crumbs, stir to combine, and let them brown as well, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the red pepper flakes, prunes and Marsala, salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cut an X in the stem end of the cauliflower and put it into the boiling water, X side down. Cook for 6 minutes, then check the progress by poking the florets with a fork to test for softening. It may need to cook for up to 6 minutes more. When the cauliflower is soft but not mushy, drain it well and let cool a bit. Break the cauliflower head into florets and cut the stem into bite-size pieces; season the lot with salt.

Heat another sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the cauliflower. You want to brown the cauliflower and you will need some heat to do it. You will need to keep tossing it about in the pan. Add some salt and black pepper and keep it all very sprightly. You will see and smell the cauliflower browning and caramelizing. Turn the heat down a bit and add the drained pasta and some salt.

Quickly stir together the cauliflower and the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 or 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to make a light sauce. Serve in warmed pasta bowls, topped with the cheese, a generous handful of the bread crumbs, and one last grind of pepper. You might add a line of olive oil as well.

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