Pasta with Cauliflower

This is one of those recipes that was so surprisingly good that I want to share with as many people as I can, as soon as possible.  I say "surprisingly good" because, while cauliflower isn't usually offensive to anyone (heeeeeey brussel sprouts), it isn't exactly the shining star of the vegetable universe.   Furthermore, the pasta requires a good amount of anchovies, and it -- GASP -- doesn't call for the inclusion of any animal formerly walking this earth.  This alone is normally a deal breaker. 

Except when it isn't, because y'all:  trust me, this is awesome.

Just days ago, Greg was all "YUCK" over a pizza I ordered with anchovies, so obviously I didn't tell him about the fish until after I fed it to him, and even then I started talking quickly about umami (the supposed "fifth taste") created by just a tiny bit of anchovy (or MSG, if you have it and no one will sue you).  But he couldn't tell!  It really just adds that certain something, a salty savoriness bearing no resemblance at all to sea creatures, I promise.

If you've only had cauliflower boiled or sauteed or (no judgment) microwaved, you're really doing yourself and your vegetable a disservice.  Cauliflower wants to be caramelized, it wants to spend just a little bit of undisturbed time sizzling over or under a high flame, to develop a golden brown.  Only then does it show itself to be, not boring, but full of flavor.  This pasta lets it sing.

Recipe below

Pasta with Cauliflower (adapted from Elise at Simply Recipes)

 Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 Tbsp anchovies packed in oil, minced (about 6 anchovies) or 2 Tbsp anchovy paste
  
• Olive oil
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I use panko)
  
• 1 large head of cauliflower, core removed and discarded, florets coarsely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 pound small elbow macaroni
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, including juice
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
  

1 Toast crumbs in a little olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat until lightly browned. Remove crumbs from skillet and set aside.
2 Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet on medium low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and anchovies. Crush the anchovies with the back of a spoon so that they smear well over the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Remove from heat. While you are cooking the onions, put a large pot of salted water (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water) for the pasta on the stove to boil.
3 Heat 4 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the cauliflower, stir infrequently, allowing the cauliflower edges to brown. Cook until the cauliflower florets are lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes to the pan, and salt and pepper to taste. Dissolve tomato paste in 1/2 cup of water. Lower the heat to low. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and anchovies, stir to combine well. Cook, uncovered, on low heat, until the cauliflower is tender.
4 Cook the pasta, uncovered, in salted boiling water until just al dente, according to the pasta package's cooking directions. Drain the pasta from the cooking water and add the cooked pasta to the cauliflower mixture. Stir in about half of the parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and walnuts (leave the rest for garnish on top).

Serves 4.