Recipe Overview
This pasta brings together the sweet, savory, and briny accents that make southern Italian vegetable pastas so compelling. Roasted cauliflower gives body, anchovies and capers deepen the flavor, raisins bring sweetness, and toasted pine nuts and bread crumbs add texture over a glossy strand of spaghetti. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Ingredients
- 450 g dry spaghetti
- 180 g white cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 55 g raisins, soaked and drained
- 30 g fine bread crumbs, lightly toasted
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 28 g Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
- 28 g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
- 12 g olive oil-marinated anchovy fillets, chopped
- 28 g Kalamata olives, halved
- 10 g garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 15 g capers, rinsed
- 28 g pine nuts, toasted
- 30 g fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- Butter, as needed for roasting cauliflower (optional)
Preparation
- Slice the garlic thinly, halve the olives, chop the parsley, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until fragrant, and chop the anchovy fillets. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
- Cut the cauliflower into small bite-size florets. Blanch in salted boiling water until just tender, then drain well. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
- In a sauté pan, heat a little butter and olive oil and pan-roast the blanched cauliflower until golden and lightly caramelized. Set aside. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté the garlic until light golden. Add the pine nuts, olives, capers, soaked raisins, and chopped anchovies, and sauté gently to combine the flavors. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
- Deglaze with the white wine and reduce slightly. Add a ladle of pasta cooking water and the chopped parsley, letting the sauce come together. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the skillet and let it simmer briefly in the sauce. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Drain the spaghetti and add it to the pan. Toss over medium heat until the pasta is well coated and silky, adding more pasta water if needed. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
- Remove from the heat and finish with the toasted bread crumbs, grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano, extra cracked pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Service Style
This is a wonderful first course or main-course pasta for menus that want a vegetable-driven plate with real depth. It bridges rustic tradition and restaurant elegance, with sweet, briny, nutty, and savory notes all layered into one forkful.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is pescatarian and contains pine nuts and dairy, based on the source recipe and nutrition notes. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}