Penne with chilli, anchovy and roasted romanesco cauliflower

Why hello there dinner.

So, when I found out we were getting one of these crazy beautiful vegetables in our weekly veg box, I wanted to use it in a dish in which it could take centre stage. This pasta is what I came up with.

I'm ready for my close-up...

It may not look anything particularly special, but this pasta dish sure tastes like it. Even though the pasta tubes look plain, in reality they are coated in spicy, garlicky anchovy flavour. I decided on roasting the romanesco as I recently discovered the magical transformation that takes place when you roast normal cauliflower - if you think cauliflower is a bit bland, you should really try it roasted - and using romaneco worked just as well. Don't be concerned by the gnarly burnt looking bits when you take the romanesco out the oven - these bits taste like AWESOME.

This could possibly be my new favourite pasta. Big words, people.

Penne with  chilli, anchovy and roasted romanesco cauliflower


Serves 2


Normal olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves
3 anchovy fillets + the oil from the tin
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 small romanesco cauliflower
1 tbsp capers
Black pepper
Penne, to serve


Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Break up the romanesco into florets and mix in a roasting tin with the normal oil and the chilli. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 mins or until tender. 


Add the oil from the anchovies to a saucepan and fry the garlic and the anchovies until the fish has dissolved into the oil. Take off the heat, add a little extra virgin olive oil for flavour, the capers and plenty of ground black pepper. Mix the roasted romanesco into the oil mixture.


Mix everything with some cooked penne (or any other pasta you desire) and stuff your face.

Weekly menu 11/11/11

Our weekly veg box has arrived and that can only mean one thing...time to plan the weekly menu chez Bear.

Things I'm particularly excited about this week:

Hypnotising veg

Romanesco cauliflower.  The Bear has reliably informed me that the pretty green spirals are fractal pattens. So beautiful. And tasty. I will be turning this into a lovely little pasta dish.

How now etc.

Brown Cow vanilla yoghurt. This is the best yoghurt ever. I urge you to find some of this stuff. Perfect with a little fruit compote for breakfast.


Anyhow, here's what we're going to be eating...

Weekly menu 11/11/11


Dinners:


Roast chicken served with savoy cabbage and roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots.

Cajun dirty rice made with finely diced chicken giblets, celery and yellow pepper.

Mutton Lancashire hotpot served with savoy cabbage and leeks.

Pizza with mozzarella, chorizo, yellow pepper and capers.

Penne with chilli, anchovy and roasted romanesco cauliflower.

Lunch:
Autumn minestrone soup

Breakfast:
Sharon fruit compote served with vanilla yoghurt 

*N.B. I am aware that there are in fact 7 days in a week, but I never plan for that amount as there are always nights where there are leftovers that need using / I can't be bothered to cook so we get something (chilli! curry! stew!) out the freezer / The Bear is hungry for a dirty takeaway.