Friday, October 30, 2009

Rigatoni with Cauliflower: A Traditional Sicilian Dish with a Touch of Moroccan Influence


I've written here before about my unfortunate lack of culinary heritage or familial culture of food, and how I love to find and create meals that could have been cooked for me by my fantasy grandmother or imaginary mom.

Well, my friend Salvatore de Simone never had to worry about any of that.  He grew up eating this rich and comforting Sicilian pasta and cauliflower dish, a meal his grandmother used to make and one that his mother, Luisa, still cooks for him - with just a few additions of her own.  Yes, I am a bit jealous! 
When Salvatore first posted a grainy cell phone photo of this dish on Facebook, I knew I had to try it. For one thing, this guy knows good food. He owns Vesuvio Ristorante & Pizzeria in Forked River, NJ, and in a world where people actually think that Dominos is decent and the Olive Garden is authentic Italian food, the pies he makes reminds you that real pizza-making is actually an art. For another thing, his brief description of this as a traditional Sicilian pasta dish with a little Moroccan influence had my curiosity piqued in a big way.

But when he said his mamma made it for him, my heart sank a little. Surely this was going to be some secret family recipe? Not to worry! The de Simones didn't mind sharing the love, and now it's my pleasure to pass it on.  

As the best family recipes tend to do, this one didn't come with any measurements. So just feel your way through it. The combination of flavors is truly unique; I would never have thought to combine these ingredients. But as you'll see, they come together to create a perfect balance of taste and texture: salty, sweet, tangy, crunchy, and chewy.

Luisa de Simone's Pasta with Cauliflower, per Salvatore's directions:
 Boil cauliflower (one head)  until tender. While cauliflower is boiling sautee  chopped red onions in extra virgin olive oil. When the onions are translucent, add a small can of anchovy fillets. When the anchovies melt, add pine nuts and raisins (black and golden) and then add the cauliflower little by little.   Use the boiling cauliflower water to cook your pasta (whole wheat rigatoni or penne rigate). When the pasta is finished, throw it in the sautee pan saving some pasta water to keep it moist.  Season with a lot of salt and pepper, then top off with toasted bread crumbs or parmigiana cheese - or both!

Salvatore says that the raisins and toasted breadcrumbs are his mom's contribution to this wonderful dish. Actually, I can't imagine the dish without that touch of sweetness - it plays perfectly off of the saltiness the anchovies bring. Unfortunately Poppa Trix isn't a huge raisin fan, so to get the sweetness and stay true to the Moroccan inflence, I used dried dates, which I thought worked really well. 

Thanks to Salvatore and his Mamma for this new favorite!





18 comments:

  1. Oh yum, that sounds fantastic and delicious. I should try this soon when the cauliflowers a cheaper. :)

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  2. another fine post Trix ...sounds tasty!

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  3. Ah, it makes me want an imaginary Sicilian grandmother too! Although I am very happy with my fabulous Taiwanese grandmother, who has taught me to cook many a delicious dish :)

    I love the part about cooking the pasta in cauliflower water. Also love the raisins and pine nuts. I'd prob add a bit of curry powder/cumin/coriander or something of that sort (Does that ruin the heritage of the dish? Hope not!)

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  4. experimental culinary pursuits: Maybe I could borrow your grandmother sometime, too? ; ) Well, coriander is used in Moroccan cooking, right? So I don't think it would ruin the heritage of the dish, but I guess Mrs. de Simone would have to be the final judge! Sounds interesting - if you do it, let me know how it tastes.

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  5. Fantastic twist to a pasta dish. I like the additional of pine nuts and raisins.

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  6. Hi Tasty Trix,
    This is a good one....pine nuts and raisins...fantastic! Thanks for sharing such a delish pasta :)

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  7. mmmmm, this sounds and looks delicious. i love cauliflower and have no doubt this would please my taste buds!

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  8. oh this looks fab you are creating heritage for future lil ones lol

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  9. Even though I had a huge lunch that is still in my stomach, I could eat a dish of your rigatoni. I am like poppa Trix not a fan of raisins in pasta.

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  10. Just woke up and I saw your pasta --hmmm..we never like cauliflower (other than a broiled side dish) but you make this really interesting! --yum!

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  11. This recipe is going to be a must-try for me. The combination of cauliflower, anchovies, and pine nuts sounds wonderful!

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  12. This sounds so delicious! Love your blog and can't wait to try this dish!

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  13. Sounds wonderful! I might just have to whip this one up!

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  14. Thanks all - this is such an easy dish and it's a good thing for Mama de Simone, because I never would have thought of this combo!

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  15. This looks so yummy! I'll have to give it a go sometime!

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