Cauliflower Lovin’

I don’t know what it is, but since this summer, I’ve head an insatiable desire for cauliflower and kale.

I’m a big believer in the idea that the body will crave the foods it needs to be healthy, so I’m going with the flow and eating as much of these veggies as possible. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t remember ever eating cauliflower before this summer, except as a floret on a crudites plate, which, eh, there are better ways to eat cauliflower.

I’ve been finding all sorts of ways to use cauliflower: a low-calorie mashed “potato,” a low-cal “mac-and-cheese,” but this pasta dish is by-far my favorite so far. It’s creamy without the cream, it feels like it’s cheesy, but, really, there’s little cheese in it. It’s just plain yummy. I think the whole batch only lasted about 12 hours… I ate it for dinner, breakfast, lunch, snack… you get the idea. It didn’t last long.

And Kale! Oh, that miracle green: KALE. It’s delicious in anything. It’s great as a sauté, as chips, as a filler in soups… I could totally geek out about kale all day long.

Anyway, the point of this post is this: I rarely repeat recipes. I like to try new things, new flavors, and don’t often go back for “seconds,” so-to-speak. However, this is one of the yummiest, healthiest-feeling dishes ever, and after only two weeks, I’m going back for more. Tonight. I’m thrilled to be welcoming this dish back into my tummy. :)

 

Whole Wheat Pasta with Cauliflower and Kale

Adapted from Marcus Samuelsson

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups bread crumbs (use something you already have, pop it in the food processor!)
1 head cauliflower, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 bunch kale, stems and ribs discarded, leaves chopped
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried red chili, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (if you don’t have fresh, use dried, but only use about 1 tbsp — dried herbs are much stronger.)
s & p
1 cup whole wheat pasta  — your favorite (I used rotini)
shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast breadcrumbs, stirring frequently, until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, boil cauliflower until very tender, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to a bowl. Remove and reserve 1 cup cooking water. Boil kale in remaining boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, pressing on kale to remove excess water.
4. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a deep 12 to 13 inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and chili and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add cauliflower and coarsely mash with back of spoon or a potato masher. Stir in kale, ½ cup parsley, and 2/3 cup reserved cooking water. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt per every 4 quarts water), drain.
6. Add pasta to sauce and heat over moderate heat, stirring. Stir in cheese and remaining ½ cup parsley. If pasta seems to dry, stir in a little more cooking water. Serve pasta sprinkled with bread crumbs.