Cauliflower has never held much charm for me.  A little lack lustre, usually served with some overpowering sauce of some sort.  I do like it in Indian dishes, where it seems to have more strength, more depth.  Then I tried roasting it.  Wow. I love roasted cauliflower!  Who knew that that’s all it needed?  Here I serve it with pasta, a bit of crunch and a bit of spice.  Using a whole cauliflower head, it makes a fair amount, but it always gets eaten.

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Enough for 6 as a main, enough for 8 as a side

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower, cored & chopped into bite-sized pieces

8 slices of prosciutto, cut crosswise into ½“ strips

½ t chili flakes

½ c olive oil (4T + 4T)

½ c panko

3 cloves of garlic, sliced very thinly, and tossed with the panko

1 lb of farfalle pasta (bowtie)

3 green onions, sliced thinly

½ c grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Line a large baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, prosciutto, chilies and 4 T of olive oil, and season lightly with salt & pepper.

Roast in the center of the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir to redistribute, and stir in the garlic/panko mixture.

Return to the oven and continue cooking until the cauliflower is fork tender, and golden.  This should take another 15 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed.

Strain, and return to the pot, and toss with the remaining 4T oil and the sliced green onions.

Stir in the roasted cauliflower.

Serve using a large pasta bowl, or as individual servings.

Top with the grated cheese.