Viva Italia

No one in our neighbourhood could have missed the fact that Italy won the World Cup yesterday. We live a couple of blocks from the Italian-Canadian Club who were hosting their Italian Festival during the soccer finals. The horn honking and flag waving started almost immediately after victory was declared, and went on for hours, as will the post-celebration hangovers.

In honour of the Italian victory, I’m posting a savory Italian recipe. (If you like sweets, see my previous post on Tiramisu.) The recipe below is not a classic dish, but one that deserves to be right up there with Cacciatore and Prima Vera. Andrew suggested I post an Australian recipe to protest the questionable call that gave the Italians a victory over the men from Down Under. Hard to believe he’s passionate about international relations. In the interest of world peace, I offer you Pasta Cauliflower. Only the name is bland.

Cauliflower Pasta
Printable recipe

Serves 4

The first time I made this, I was so taken with the sauce during sampling that I skipped the pasta and ate it right from the pan. I now whip up a Mediterranean version — just the sauce and crumbled feta in place of Parmesan. Pasta or low-carb, you’ll love the deep tomato flavour. Here’s the original version. Try variations as you please. Manga, manga!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium cauliflower, in florets
• 2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 cups tomatoes, pureed
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese
• Pasta of choice (linguini, spaghetti, angel hair, rice pasta etc) *

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add garlic, bay leaf and basil. Saute one minute.
2. Add cauliflower. Saute a few minutes.
3. Add pureed tomatoes and lower heat. Simmer 15 – 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
4. Meanwhile, if using, prepare pasta according to package directions.
5. Serve on pasta of choice and sprinkle with cheese.

Variations

• Use crumbled feta instead of Parmesan — or a combination of both.
• Omit the pasta and eat the cauliflower as a side dish.
• Serve on potatoes or rice.
• Instead of simmering on the stove, bake in the oven topped with the cheese to make a variation on cauliflower parmigiana.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with a salad. No other sides needed.
* The sauce is gluten-free. To make the entire dish gluten-free, serve on rice pasta or quinoa.

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