Cauliflower Part 2, Cauliflower Pasta

FNM's picture looks much nicer than mine

I saw a recipe for Sicilian cauliflower pasta in Food Network Magazine and thought it would be a tastey way to use up the other half of cauliflower I had left from the pizza. Pasta is a great main dish or side for weeknights because its super quick and its a great base for veggies or any left overs you might have. Its also easy to just add meat to half and leave the rest vegetarian. This recipe starts off with a classic garlic and oil sauce, which is delicious on its own, and then the rest of the ingrediants are added. I really liked the addition of rasins, it gave it a little sweet fruitiness without overpowering the rest of the flavors. I didn't change much from the original recipe. I left out the dill, used a different color raisin and I added a lot more garlic, FNM calls it Sicilian and they only use one clove, crazy.

Cauliflower Pasta
adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
1/2 a box penne
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped small
1/4 cup rasins
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
juice from half a lemon
a hefty pinch of salt
lots of parmesan cheese and black pepper

Directions
1. Add the penne to a large pot of salted boiling water. Add a drizzle of olive of oil and stir. Cook until al dente. Drain and reserve a 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, red pepper, and some salt cook for about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and raisins and continue to cook until the cauliflower is tender-crisp and slighty browned.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the pasta, parsley, lemon juice, reserved cooking liquid, salt, pepper and parmesan.
4. Serve with more grated parmesan!

Notes
Its easier if you just toss the cauliflower in the food processor to get it nice and small rather than chopping.
Pasta with just garlic, red pepper and parmesan is delicious on its own, you can add any of your favorite veggies to make it a complete meal.