Yum! Roasted Cauliflower Pesto

The word pesto means "paste" in Italian, so it doesn't always have to be a summer thing made with basil.

You know how much I love cauliflower, so when I saw this recipe in Cooking for Friends, I knew I had to try it.

It was yummy. You could spread this stuff on bread (crostini!) or spoon it over spaghetti, which made for a wonderful dinner.

I took the liberty and added golden raisins for a Sicilian touch.

The recipe calls for cooking the cauliflower in a grill pan, which makes no sense.
It took forever and made a mess of my stove, so next time I will just roast the cauliflower to get it nice and caramelized, my favorite way.

This makes a great winter pesto! Try it.



Roasted Cauliflower Pesto:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
kosher salt
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1 garlic clove
1 cup parsley
2 tbsp capers, drained
1/2 - 3/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup golden raisins

Roast the cauliflower in a 400F oven for 30 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until golden brown.

In a food processor, add the toasted almonds, parsley, garlic, capers and roasted cauliflower. Pulse once or twice and add the olive oil. Pulse a few more times to make a nice chunky consistency. Taste and season the pesto with salt & pepper.

Cook your pasta and add the pesto with raisins along w/ some reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Garnish with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and enjoy!



1/24: I spread the leftover cauliflower pesto on baguette slices, placed them on a baking sheet, drizzled some olive oil over the crostini and baked them at 350F for 10 minutes. Even better than on the pasta!