The italian art of cooking pasta: baked ziti with cauliflower

Main Dish

2 servings

Very Easy

55 min

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Ingredients

• 700 g (1.6 lb) cauliflower
• 2 young fresh onions, finely chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets in oil
• 300 g (10 1/2 oz) ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 can cherry tomatoes
• I tablespoon tomato paste
• 10 g  (1/3 oz) sultanas
• 10 g (1/3 oz) pine nuts
• 25 g (1 oz) almonds, peeled
• 140 g (5 oz) ziti
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dry breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Grated Parmesan, if liked

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Preparation

• Clean the cauliflower, remove the outer green leaves and the core from the stalk end. Then break the cauliflower into pieces and break off florets (very little in order to cook them in few minutes). At the end we wash and steam them.
• Soak sultanas in warm water.
• Cook ziti al dente stage in abundant salt water (dilute the steaming water of the cauliflower).
• Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Toast almonds in the oven, let them cool and cut into pieces.
• Put the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan together with the onions and anchovy fillets. Saute all the ingredients for 3-4 minutes, stirring and then we add the cauliflower, tomatoes and tomato paste. Keep on cooking the sauce for about 10 minutes. At last add also pine nuts, sultanas (squeezed of their soaking water) and almonds. Season to taste with salt, stir and switch off the gas.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Drain pasta very well and put it in the pan. Stir and pour the tossed pasta into a large, shallow baking pan. Sprinkle dry breadcrumbs on the top and bake for 15-20 minutes.

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