PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER AND HAZELNUTS

I often do cauliflower like this through salads but this unsuspecting vegetable turns this pasta dish into a delicious surprise.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 (350g) head of cauliflower

½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted

4 anchovy fillets, in oil

1 clove garlic

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for cooking

250g dried spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Method

Cut the cauliflower into florets, place into a food processor and pulse to form pieces about the size of large breadcrumbs and place into a large bowl.

Place toasted hazelnuts, anchovies, garlic, parsley, and quarter cup of the olive oil in the food processor or in mortar and pestle, and pulse until a smooth paste has formed. Remove from the processor and add to the cauliflower, add the grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, mix well to combine. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta as directed on the packet, make sure it doesn’t over cook.

Heat a large fry-pan over medium heat and add two more tablespoons olive oil.  Add the cauliflower mixture and cook 5-6 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside

Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Then add the pasta to the pan with the cauliflower mixture and toss over medium heat until well coated, about 30 seconds.  Add enough of the cooking water to the pan to loosen the sauce. The sauce should stick to the pasta loosely but not you do not want the pasta to be swimming in the sauce!

Remove from heat, toss in the remaining parmesan cheese and mix well.

Serve with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.