Cauliflower Ragu
A lusciously cream sauce (made without cream, but some butter and a hefty dose of Parmesan cheese), meant to be served over your choice of carb (fresh pasta, rice) and/or protein!Keys for success - don't go too crazy on the salt in the cauliflower sauce, since you'll be adding salted pasta water, pasta that has some salt in the dough, etc. to the finished product. Also, make sure you like the wine you add - it's taste will show through.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 large heads cauliflower or Romanesco about 3 pounds (whole)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- ¾-1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or water
- ½ cup dry un-oaked white wine or more chicken broth
- 1 big sprig rosemary or ½-1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10-12 grinds freshly cracked pepper
- 12 ounces fusilli or other spiral- or tube-shaped pasta
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 ½ cup (8 ounces) frozen peas not defrosted
- 1 cup (8 ounces before cooking) mushrooms assorted or cremini, sauteed separately
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Cauliflower Ragu
- If the cauliflower still has outer leaves and they look fresh, chop them. Cut the center stem from the cauliflower and cut the head into small florets. Chop the stem into small chunks.
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil, the garlic, and the chile flakes in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the cauliflower florets, chopped stems, and onion to the Dutch oven. Pour in the wine and chicken broth (or water), the teaspoon salt, several generous twists of black pepper, and rosemary sprig. Stir everything together, then cover the pan and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers nicely. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 30-40 minutes, stirring and smashing with a wooden spoon or spatula a few times as you cook.
Pasta
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt so the water "tastes like the sea" (e.g., it's salty!).
- Once the cauliflower sauce is almost done, add the pasta to the pot of water and cook until 2 minutes shy of al dente (according to the package directions; the pasta will finish cooking in the ragu). With a ladle or a measuring cup, scoop out about 1 cup pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta well.
Assembly
- While the pasta is cooking, transfer the cooked cauliflower sauce to a blender (you will likely need to do this in 2-3 batches, depending on your blender jar) and blend until smooth.
- Return the blended sauce to the Dutch oven (no need to clean it out), stir in the lemon juice, butter, parmesan, frozen peas, and sauteed mushrooms (if using).
- Add the pasta to the ragu and fold everything together. Taste and adjust with more salt, lemon, black pepper, or cheese, and adjust the texture to make it creamy by adding a splash or two of the reserved pasta water. Serve right away.