Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins, Pine Nuts and Parmigiano

Sicilian pasta with cauliflower fills my needs. Loaded with lots of umami and great sweet and spicy flavor, this classic dish is one you will want to try.

I love pasta and cauliflower and this cauliflower with pasta is one of my favorite ways to use it!

This classic Sicilian pasta, Pasta con Cavolfiore, with raisins and pine nuts, anchovies and saffron is a great way to get everyone to eat their veggies.

Feel free to use Romanesco cauliflower if you like. I just used the usual and it turned out amazing.  

Anchovies have you worried? Trust me on this! You will never know the anchovies exist once this sauce is pulled together. They lend so much flavor that you don’t want to leave them out of this cauliflower pasta recipe.

Don’t have a can of anchovies? Then use a big dollop of anchovy paste. I always have this in the fridge for when the urge to make Caesar Salad strikes!

What makes this Sicilian pasta? Perhaps it’s the saffron which gives a delicate and intricate flavor to this pasta. 

The raisins add sweetness and if you don’t have those, currants can be used instead. The balance of anchovies and raisins makes that special salty sweet flavor that I so adore. And if you want it a little more salty try adding a spoonful of capers.

No campanelle pasta? Use spaghetti. I just love this hand bell shaped pasta with the ruffly edges because it reminds me of cauliflower florets. Also it holds sauce very well.

When you are making pasta this special using authentic ingredients always makes everything taste better. In this case there is nothing like real Parmigiano-Reggiano. To know if your Parmigiano is the real thing the rind should be stamped in pin dots forming the words, “Parmigiano-Reggiano.”

Sold in 85 lb wheels, each wheel carries a number and a production date in the same pin dots.

I always have a wedge in the fridge and make sure to buy it at my favorite Italian grocery-Costco!

Real Parmigiano Reggiano is amazing and that’s no lie. Truthfully I love eating it all by its lonesome, but there is nothing like the real thing added to pasta.

Save the parmigiano rinds to make broth for soup. Lesson here: Do not throw away those rinds. They are great thrown into soup pots or risotto or beans. The rinds add a ton of flavor to food, so don’t waste them.

Today on September 8th, it is actually snowing here in Denver. Though this is an old post, I thought it high time I update it. Pasta sounds wonderful on this cold Fall day and since I have a cauliflower that needs a home, I thought this sounded perfect.

(Below is the original version from March 24. 2015.)

 As I said Passover is getting close, which means no pasta for 8 days. Best get it in now which is exactly what I did. Cauliflowers are gorgeous this season, so what better time than the present to give you this recipe! Mangia!

I’ve had a lot on my plate this week and I wish it was just this pasta. Spring cleaning is in full force since I found out that I am going to have a full house for Passover this year!

It is hard to believe that Alex came home last Thursday night from China; I know; and he already left! He is though, due back again today!

I am choosing to believe that he came home to see us, though he left less than 12 hours later to join his Bucknell Ski team buddies in Utah for a ski team reunion. Well, he is staying for Passover and I should count my blessings!

It was less than two weeks ago that he decided to return and in that time Zoe decided she must come from Philly to see her bro, and my parents decided to come up from Phoenix, because God knows when they might see him again! He is so popular, isn’t he?

And Zoe is bringing THE boyfriend, and her friends and the rest of the famille can’t wait to check him out. (OK. He is very nice and I know him, but we will see how well he holds up under pressure, though I’m not too worried because he has held up under Zoe!) Wow. That was a long sentence.

The family will be together again this Passover which leaves me frantic and happy and may miracles never cease. And speaking of miracles…I was in shock the other day when I knocked THIS glass off the counter and it landed just as you see it.

That’s a miracle, isn’t it? I was ready for the shatter and looking to make sure the dog was out of the way, and then I peeked and this is what I saw. I have never, EVER had this happen!

So short of not breaking a glass, I decided this cauiflower pasta was a bit of a miracle too! With just a few ordinary ingredients, OK maybe not saffron, this tasty pasta becomes dinner in no time!