The Recipe

Source: A Taste of Southern Italy by Marlena de Blasi

1 small head white or green cauliflower
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound cima di rape [Hard-to-find Italian turnip greens] or dandelion greens, beet greens, or red chard
2 ounces anchovies, preserved under salt
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 small, dried red chile pepper, crushed, or 1/3 to ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes
3 fat cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and finely minced
3 ounces dried black olives, stones removed (optional)
12 ounces orecchiette
coarse sea salt for the pasta water
1 cup just-grated pecorino
1 cup just-made fine bread crumbs, sautéed in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Trim the cauliflower of its leaves and place it, whole, in a pot, covering it with cold water, adding 1 tablespoon of the fine sea salt and poaching it until tender. Drain the cauliflower and set it aside. Wash and trim the rape and place them in a pot, covering them with cold water, adding the remaining table of salt and poaching them for 3 minutes. Drain the rape very well, transferring them to absorbent paper towels. When the rape are cooled a bit, squeeze each piece, extracting as much water as you can before chopping them coarsely and placing them in a bowl. Add the poached cauliflower, breaking it up and blending it lightly with the rape.

Rinse the anchovies and remove their heads and bones. Dry them on paper towels and crush lightly with a fork.

In a sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the olive oil, scenting it with the fennel, crushed chile, and garlic, taking care not to color the garlic. Add the anchovies and the olives, if you wish to use them, stirring and blending the components. Add this hot mixture to the bowl with the rape and the cauliflower, smashing the whole against the sides of the bowl, permitting the vegetables to inhale the hot, spicy bath.

Cook the orecchiette in abundant, sea-salted water until al dente, draining the pasta but leaving it somewhat wet. Reserve ½ cup or so of its cooking liquids. Transfer the pasta to a large, shallow, warmed bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquids and the pecorino to the sauce, thinning it only slightly. Add a few drops more of the cooking liquids only if the sauce is still extremely thick. Add the sauce to the pasta, tossing it and coating each little ear.

Dust the pasta with the browned bread crumbs and present the dish with a rough but honorable red wine.

The recipe

Source: Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

1 ½ pounds broccoli rabe (rapini), or 1 pound cauliflower or broccoli
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more oil if using cheese
1 dried red chili, crumbled
sea salt
15 to 20 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
15 to 20 black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup grated hard aged cheese: pecorino, caciocavallo, or parmigiano reggiano (optional)

Rinse and trim the broccoli rabe and discard any yellow or wilted leaves. Cut into 2-inch lengths. If you’re using broccoli or cauliflower, rinse and cut into florets.

Combine the onion with the olive oil in a pan that will not suffer when put under the broiler. Set over medium-low heat. As the onions start to sizzle, add the chili and salt to taste. Stir in the vegetable pieces, halved tomatoes, and black olives. Add about ¼ cup boiling water, then cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes. Check the vegetables for tenderness, piercing the thick parts with the point of a knife. If they need to cook a little longer, you may wish to add a little more boiling water to keep the vegetables from scorching.

Meanwhile, if you’re using the cheese topping, turn the broiler on to high. When the vegetables are done, sprinkle the cheese over the top, dribble on a little more olive oil, and run under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove and serve immediately.

The Recipe

Source: Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe by Danny Meyer

1 head cauliflower, stem trimmed, cut into 2-inch florets
¼ cup olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups quartered and thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano
½ cup pitted and sliced green olives
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Toss the cauliflower in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Spread out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast until the cauliflower is just tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is lightly browned but still has crunch, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, olives, ¾ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and the Aleppo pepper; cook a few seconds until the garlic is fragrant but not brown. Stir in the tomato and parsley, cook for 30 seconds, and remove from the heat.

When the cauliflower has finished roasting, return the tomato-onion mixture to high heat, toss in the cauliflower, and saute quickly to combine and heat through. Serve hot or at room temperature.