slightly less pasta and a little more of the veggies. Also save some of the pasta cooking water to moisten it if needed. The recipes notes and comments are from wherever I found the recipe and not from me. I halved the recipe and a 10 inch skillet worked nicely.
* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *
Pasta with Spicy Broccoli & Cauliflower
Recipe By : Zuni Cafe Cookbook
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time:
Categories : Main Dish Pasta
Vegetable
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
1 cup (about) fresh, soft breadcrumbs (about 2 oz)-- made from crustless, slightly stale,
-- chewy white peasant-style bread (optional)*
3/4 cup (about) mild-tasting olive oil (I didn't use this
-- much - I probably used about half that much)
12 oz (about) broccoli, trimmed, with a few inches of stem intact
12 oz (about) cauliflower, leaves removed and stem end
-- trimmed flush
salt
1 Tbs (generous)capers, rinsed, pressed dry between
-- towels, and slightly chopped
1 lb penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli,
-- or medium shells
1 Tbs chopped salt-packed anchovy fillets
-- (4 to 6 fillets) (I omitted these)*
6 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (I used about 3)
1/2 tsp (about) fennel seeds, lightly pounded in a mortar*
4 pinches dried chili flakes
1 Tbs (tightly packed)coarsely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 Tbs coarsely chopped pitted green olives*
1. If using breadcrumbs, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 teaspoons olive oil, spread on a baking
sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes, until golden. Keep the crumbs on the
stove top until needed.
3. Slice the broccoli and cauliflower about 1/8-inch-thick, and generally
lengthwise. Most of the slices will break apart as you produce them,
yielding a pile of smooth stem pieces, tiny green broccoli buds, little
cauliflower crumbs, and a few delicate slabs with stem and flower both.
Don't worry if the slices are of uneven thickness; that will make for more
textural variety.
4. Warm about 1/4 cup of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add
most of the sliced broccoli and cauliflower, conveniently leaving the
smallest bits behind on the cutting board for the moment. (They'll burn if
you add them too soon.) The oil should sizzle quietly. Swirl the pan, and
leave the vegetables to cook until you see the edge bits browning, about 3
minutes (It took me way longer than 3 minutes to see this, but I used less
oil.). Salt very lightly and toss or stir and fold gently.
5. Add a few more spoonfuls of oil and scrape the remaining bits of broccoli
and cauliflower into the pan. Add the capers and swirl gently. (Mine was
never so oily as to be able to swirl, so I just stirred a little.) Continue
cooking over medium heat until the edges begin to brown, another few
minutes, then give the pan another stir or toss. Don't stir too soon or too
often, or you will get a homogeneous, steamy pile of vegetables instead of a
crispy, chewy one. Most of the capers and vegetable crumbs will shrink into
crispy confetti-like bits.
6. Meanwhile, drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned
with a scant 2 tablespoons of salt (a little more if using kosher salt).
Stir, and cook al dente. Set a wide bowl or platter on the stove top, or in
the still-warm oven if you made breadcrumbs, to heat.
7. Once the mass of broccoli and cauliflower has shrunken by about one third
and is largely tender, reduce the heat, add another few spoonfuls of oil,
and scatter the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel, and chili over all. Give
the vegetables a stir or toss to distribute. Cook for another few minutes,
then add the parsley and olives. Taste - every flavor should be clamoring
for dominance. Adjust as needed.
8. Toss with the well-drained pasta and garnish with the warm, toasted
breadcrumbs, if desired (I used cheese).
Cooking Tip: *I didn't use anchovies. I substituted Pecorino Romano cheese
for the breadcrumbs, I did some minced fennel bulb in addition to the fennel
seeds and cut the amount of seeds in half, and I used black olives instead
of green.
Comments: This recipe is from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. It's freaking
delicious, and the small touches that Judy Rogers includes in her recipes
really make a big difference. I recommend following the directions (which I
copied almost word-for-word from the cookbook) as closely as possible. It's
worth it.
Recipe Source: Zuni Cafe Cookbook
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *
Pasta with Spicy Broccoli & Cauliflower
Recipe By : Zuni Cafe Cookbook
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time:
Categories : Main Dish Pasta
Vegetable
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
1 cup (about) fresh, soft breadcrumbs (about 2 oz)-- made from crustless, slightly stale,
-- chewy white peasant-style bread (optional)*
3/4 cup (about) mild-tasting olive oil (I didn't use this
-- much - I probably used about half that much)
12 oz (about) broccoli, trimmed, with a few inches of stem intact
12 oz (about) cauliflower, leaves removed and stem end
-- trimmed flush
salt
1 Tbs (generous)capers, rinsed, pressed dry between
-- towels, and slightly chopped
1 lb penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli,
-- or medium shells
1 Tbs chopped salt-packed anchovy fillets
-- (4 to 6 fillets) (I omitted these)*
6 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (I used about 3)
1/2 tsp (about) fennel seeds, lightly pounded in a mortar*
4 pinches dried chili flakes
1 Tbs (tightly packed)coarsely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 Tbs coarsely chopped pitted green olives*
1. If using breadcrumbs, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 teaspoons olive oil, spread on a baking
sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes, until golden. Keep the crumbs on the
stove top until needed.
3. Slice the broccoli and cauliflower about 1/8-inch-thick, and generally
lengthwise. Most of the slices will break apart as you produce them,
yielding a pile of smooth stem pieces, tiny green broccoli buds, little
cauliflower crumbs, and a few delicate slabs with stem and flower both.
Don't worry if the slices are of uneven thickness; that will make for more
textural variety.
4. Warm about 1/4 cup of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add
most of the sliced broccoli and cauliflower, conveniently leaving the
smallest bits behind on the cutting board for the moment. (They'll burn if
you add them too soon.) The oil should sizzle quietly. Swirl the pan, and
leave the vegetables to cook until you see the edge bits browning, about 3
minutes (It took me way longer than 3 minutes to see this, but I used less
oil.). Salt very lightly and toss or stir and fold gently.
5. Add a few more spoonfuls of oil and scrape the remaining bits of broccoli
and cauliflower into the pan. Add the capers and swirl gently. (Mine was
never so oily as to be able to swirl, so I just stirred a little.) Continue
cooking over medium heat until the edges begin to brown, another few
minutes, then give the pan another stir or toss. Don't stir too soon or too
often, or you will get a homogeneous, steamy pile of vegetables instead of a
crispy, chewy one. Most of the capers and vegetable crumbs will shrink into
crispy confetti-like bits.
6. Meanwhile, drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned
with a scant 2 tablespoons of salt (a little more if using kosher salt).
Stir, and cook al dente. Set a wide bowl or platter on the stove top, or in
the still-warm oven if you made breadcrumbs, to heat.
7. Once the mass of broccoli and cauliflower has shrunken by about one third
and is largely tender, reduce the heat, add another few spoonfuls of oil,
and scatter the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel, and chili over all. Give
the vegetables a stir or toss to distribute. Cook for another few minutes,
then add the parsley and olives. Taste - every flavor should be clamoring
for dominance. Adjust as needed.
8. Toss with the well-drained pasta and garnish with the warm, toasted
breadcrumbs, if desired (I used cheese).
Cooking Tip: *I didn't use anchovies. I substituted Pecorino Romano cheese
for the breadcrumbs, I did some minced fennel bulb in addition to the fennel
seeds and cut the amount of seeds in half, and I used black olives instead
of green.
Comments: This recipe is from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. It's freaking
delicious, and the small touches that Judy Rogers includes in her recipes
really make a big difference. I recommend following the directions (which I
copied almost word-for-word from the cookbook) as closely as possible. It's
worth it.
Recipe Source: Zuni Cafe Cookbook
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -