Pasta with fried cauliflower and red pepper pesto
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Loading... - Maya Conte
- 23 Feb 2021
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Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
1 medium cauliflower, broken up into walnut-sized florets
80ml extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
Salt and black pepper
80g flaked almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
100g red peppers, roasted and peeled (fresh or from a jar)
1 pinch chilli flakes (optional)
300g short pasta tubes such as penne or rigatoni
2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Cook the cauliflower in a pan of boiling salted water for five minutes until soft, then drain.
Return the pot to the heat and add half the olive oil. Add the cauliflower, half the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Give the pan a good stir, put the lid on and cook on a very low flame for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, grind the rest of the garlic and half the almonds until coarsely ground. Add the peppers and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the rest of the oil in a thin stream until it is fully emulsified. Season to taste.
Remove the lid from the cauliflower, add a touch of chilli to taste, cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring and scraping now and then to stop it catching. Try to keep some small cauliflower chunks for texture.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and drain. Stir the pepper sauce through the pasta, check the seasoning and spoon into bowls. Top with the soft, caramelised cauliflower, the remaining almonds and the chopped parsley.
