Pasta with cauliflower sauce (Pasta chi vruocculi arriminati, region Sicily)

This recipe takes its name from the verb “arriminare”, which means to stir, to mix in the Sicilian dialect, as you have to mix the cauliflower with the pasta and other ingredients.

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

Maccheroni (type of pasta) – 600 g

Cauliflower – 1 kg

Raisin - 100 g

Pine nuts – 100 g

1 onion

6 marinated anchovy fillets

1/2 packet of saffron

olive oil

salt and pepper 

Preparation

Chop the cauliflower and bring some salted water in a large casserole to the boil, cook the cauliflower until it is still quite crunchy (al dente) and not too soft. Drain the cauliflower but do not throw the water away.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, the raisin, the pine nuts and the cauliflower. Add some of the cauliflower water, the saffron, the anchovy fillets and some pepper.

Bring the remaining cauliflower water to the boil again and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, mix well and serve.