1cupgrated caciocavallo or aged Sicilian sheep's milk cheese
1/4cupextra-virgin olive oil
1tablespoondried Sicilian oregano
sea salt
Garlic Paste
6garlic cloves
1teaspoonmedium-coarse sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Instructions
Pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high
heat. Add the cauliflower and blanch until slightly
tender, about 2 minutes. To test if ready, remove one
floret from the water and insert a paring knife inside
the stem. If the knife is smoothly inserted with ease,
the cauliflower is ready. Transfer the cauliflower with
a slotted spoon to a strainer to drain excess water.
Reserve the pot of boiling water to cook the pasta.
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over low to medium
heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about
5 minutes. Add the anchovies, pine nuts, raisins,
and saffron threads. Let all the ingredients simmer
together for a few minutes, then add the blanched
cauliflower florets. Add about 1 cup of the boiling
pasta water to the pan and let simmer until the water
is reduced by half and the sauce appears amalgamated
but not dry.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente; drain. Add
the pasta to the sauce along with the cheese and toss
together until the pasta is coated with the sauce. Taste
for salt and add more accordingly.
Plate the pasta and top with the coarse
bread crumbs.
Breadcrumbs:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Break the bread into
small pieces (the size of an olive) and place on a
baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 15 minutes,
until golden brown. Pay careful attention so as
not to burn the bread pieces. To test if the bread is sufficiently toasted, grab a cool piece between your
fingers and squeeze. If the bread feels at all sticky or
moist in the middle, return the pan to the oven. Ideally,
the pieces of bread should be thoroughly toasted and
dried out. Let cool.
Transfer the bread to a food processor and process
until the bread breaks into very small clumps. Add
the garlic paste, cheese, olive oil, oregano, and salt.
For coarse or medium breadcrumbs, pulse the food
processor five to ten times, until the bread breaks
down to the desired crumb size. For fine breadcrumbs, continue pulsing until the bread is broken into pieces
slightly larger than grains of sand.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bread crumbs
from the food processor and transfer to a sauté pan.
Over medium heat, toast the breadcrumb mixture
until dark brown, stirring continuously with a
wooden spoon. Let cool before storing in an airtight
container for later use. The breadcrumbs will keep in
the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Warm them in a sauté
pan before using.
Garlic Paste:
With a large chef’s knife, finely chop the garlic on
a cutting board and sprinkle with the salt. Making
sure that the edge of the knife is facing away from you,
press the flat side of the knife against the garlic with
the palm of your opposite hand and crush the garlic.
The graininess of the salt will help to release the
liquids in the garlic and turn it into a paste.
If you need to hold the garlic paste for a few hours
before using it, mix it with some olive oil. However,
make sure to store the garlic paste in an airtight
container in the refrigerator to avoid the growth of
bacteria. It will keep for up to 2 days.