Monday, November 10, 2008

Fusilli with Cauliflower Il Melograno

As I predicted, I ate too much food and drank too much wine at our potluck on Saturday. It was a great time, but yesterday was pretty much a waste. I slept-walked to the farmers market and did nothing the rest of the day. I did manage to find the energy to make this recipe. I had wanted to make this with the recommended orechiette, but at almost five dollars a box, I decided to go with the much less expensive fusilli. It was so easy and really good. I liked this with and without the Parmesan and since I made the full recipe, I have lunch for the rest of the week! Of course I had to make a few changes like upping the amount of garlic and adding in a shallot for some oniony flavor. My camera is still angry at my computer. I have to figure out a way for those two to be friends again, but in the meantime, I will try to upload them once I get to work.

Ugh! So clearly it's not my camera's fault. I am able upload pictures at work. So this means I have to figure out what is wrong with my computer and why it won't play along. Dontcha just love technology??


Fusilli with Cauliflower Il Melograno
(Adapted from Gourmet)

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 pound fusilli
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup bread crumbs, toasted
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the bacon and cook until crisp.

Meanwhile, add the cauliflower to the boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes until just tender. Transfer the cauliflower with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain and keep water at a boil.

Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add the shallots and garlic to the skillet and cook until the shallots are translucent. Add the cauliflower and bacon back to the skillet and toss to combine.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain well, reserving a ladle-full of the water. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Add the reserved pasta water if the sauce looks dry.

Sprinkle the pasta with bread crumbs and serve with Parmesan if desired.

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7 comments:

Diana said...

Oh! I saw this recipe posted on Serious Eats the other day and thought it looked fabulous! I was thinking it sort of reminded me of the orchettiete sausage pasta dish at Osteria Mozza -- well exccept that one has swiss chard instead of cauliflower, and sausage instead of bacon! :)

Can't wait to see your pictures!

Sharon said...

Your weekend sounds like mine. By Sunday, I was a little bit of a zombie! Glad you had a good one, though & this looks absolutely delicious!

Esi said...

Diana - I totally spotted this on Serious Eats and knew I had to try it soon. I still haven't been to either of the Mozzas...the shame!

Sharon - thanks! I hope you have recovered, I think I am just about normal again :)

Debbie said...

What a great way to cook cauliflower. I've not seen it used much with pasta and this sounds wonderful.

Unknown said...

Mmm, i believe i saw this one too :)

Anonymous said...

This looks really yummy. And I've been wanting to work with Cauliflower. So, this will be a great recipe to start with! :-)

Anonymous said...

This looks good! Cauliflower is one of those seasonal, local ingredients that I've just never been able to get the hang of. This recipe helps!