Penne Pasta With Roasted Cauliflower, Capers, And Olives Recipe | Tasting Table Recipe
Pasta is king at Sara Jenkins's new Manhattan restaurant, Porsena. There, the chef dishes up bowl after bowl of classic Italian pastas, from a minimalist pasta al pomodoro to maccheroncini served with a meaty ragù. Given Jenkins's reputation as a pork-obsessed chef, you'd expect the meatier offerings to be Porsena's main attraction, but her vegetable-forward entrees are equally noteworthy. Take this lush penne pasta: Jenkins partners caramelized cauliflower with briny black olives and capers to create a dish that's quick enough to make on a weeknight, yet is still capable of captivating a crowd.
Recipe adapted from Sara Jenkins, Porsena, NYC
Pennette with Roasted Cauliflower, Capers and Olives
Simply delicious: penne with roasted cauliflower from Porsena's Sara Jenkins.
Servings
6
to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 medium heads cauliflower, cored and trimmed into florets (about 7 cups)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound pennette or penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ cup pitted mild black olives, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium dried mild chile, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 cup bread crumbs, toasted
- 1 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ⅓ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚ and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the cauliflower to the prepared baking sheet and roast, stirring twice, until crisp-tender and golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes.
- When the cauliflower is nearly done roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, warm the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil with the butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the olives, capers and chile and cook, stirring, until just warm, about 1 minute. Add the anchovies and continue cooking, stirring, until the anchovies dissolve, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in the cauliflower and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Drain the pasta and toss immediately with the cauliflower mixture. Add the bread crumbs, cheese and parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and serve.