PASTA WITH SPICY BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER

PASTA WITH SPICY BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER image

Categories Pasta

Yield 4-5 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

About 1 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs (about 2 oz) made from crustless, slightly stale, chewy white peasant-style bread (optional)
About 3/4 cup mild-tasting olive oil (I didn't use this much I probably used about half that much)
About 12 oz broccoli, trimmed, with a few inches of stem intact
About 12 oz cauliflower, leaves removed and stem end trimmed flush
Salt
1 generous tablespoon capers, rinsed, pressed dry between towels, and slightly chopped
1lb penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli, or medium shells
1 tbsp chopped salt-packed anchovy fillets (4 to 6 fillets) (I omitted these)
6 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (I used about 3)
About 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly pounded in a mortar
4 to 8 pinches dried chili flakes
1 tbsp tightly packed, coarsely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 to 5 tbsp coarsely chopped pitted green olives

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tsp olive oil, spread on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes until golden. Keep on the stovetop until needed. Slice the broccoli and cauliflower about 1/8-inch thick, and generally lengthwise. Most of the slices will break apart as you produce them, yielding a pile of smooth stem pieces, tiny green broccoli buds, little cauliflower crumbs, and a few delicate slabs with stem and flower both. Warm about 1/4 cup of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add most of the sliced broccoli and cauliflower, but not the smallest bits (they'll burn if you add them too soon). The oil should sizzle quietly. Swirl the pan, and leave the vegetables to cook until you see the edge bits browning, about 3 minutes. Salt very lightly and toss or stir and fold gently. Add a few more spoonfuls of oil and scrape the remaining bits of broccoli and cauliflower into the pan. Add the capers and swirl gently. Continue cooking over medium heat until the edges begin to brown, another few minutes, then give the pan another stir or toss. Don't stir too soon or too often, or you will get a homogeneous, steamy pile of vegetables instead of a crispy, chewy one. Most of the capers and vegetable crumbs will shrink into crispy confetti-like bits. Meanwhile, drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scant 2 tablespoons of salt (a little more if using kosher salt). Stir, and cook al dente. Set a wide bowl or platter on the stovetop, or in the still-warm oven if you made breadcrumbs, to heat. Once the mass of broccoli and cauliflower has shrunken by about one third and is largely tender, reduce the heat, add another few spoonfuls of oil, and scatter the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel, and chili over all. Give the vegetables a stir or toss to distribute. Cook for another few minutes, then add the parsley and olives. Toss with the pasta and garnish with the bread crumbs.