Soggy, stinky stuff you used to get doused in an excuse for cheese sauce at school dinner? Something that turns up in the veg box way too often?
Or do you think, mmmm, let me count the ways in which I love you: raw and crunchy, ground up and used in veggie burgers, sliced into creamy curry, roasted with fragrant spices...
So guess which camp I fall into?? Yep, I adore cauliflower, but Mr P&P takes a little more persuading. This dish though. This dish! It ticks all the right boxes for me and won't fail to convert a cauliflower hater either: spicy, fragrant, nutty, cheesy.
Oh and if you thought curry and cheese don't go together, think again. I first tried it in Japan, of all places, and it's a beautiful, umami-rich combination.
Pasta with Spiced Cauliflower & Pine Nuts
Pots/pans to be washed up afterwards: 2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients
1/2 large cauliflower, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp of medium curry powder
250 g pasta
handful of toasted pine nuts (or toasted sliced almonds as a cheaper alternative)
Asiago cheese, grated (a mild to medium cheddar would work well too)
olive oil
salt
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a generous tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and soften on a very low heat for at least 5 mins.
3. Add the curry powder and sliced cauliflower and stir well, until everything is coated evenly in curry powder. Fry on a medium heat for a minute, stirring constantly.
4. Lower the heat, add a splash of water and let simmer for 5 minutes (or until the cauliflower is as soft/crunchy as you want it). Season to taste with salt.
5. Drain the pasta and stir in the spiced cauliflower.
6. Serve with the grated cheese, toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.