Cauliflower and Kale Convert

Since we started our eat-healthier-and-lose-weight journey over a year ago, I'd have to say that one of the benefits has been discovering delicious ways to enjoy more vegetables. I've become a convert to both cauliflower and kale, so when I came across a recipe that combined both, I had to give it a try and boy, it was so worth the effort!

Oh my, so yum!

The original recipe came from Sprouted Kitchen, and I had to 'Australianise' it by converting measurements to metric and substituting where the overseas ingredient wasn't available. I've made it twice now, in two different ovens. I'm glad I did because I can give you a very worthwhile heads-up about watching your cooking temperatures.

This recipe bakes at temps higher than I'd usually roast with. When I used my lovely 18 month old wall oven at Bountiful, the temps as written in the recipe were perfect. However, when I made it in my ancient oven that's seen so many better days (and whose door falls off at the most inconvenient times!) it added way more char than was desirable for this recipe. (My polite way of saying it burned the veg). Most people get to know their ovens well, so please adjust the temps down in this recipe if you know your oven is a bit overenthusiastic in the heat department.

As we have tried to lower our carbohydrate intake, we have made the switch to using pulse pasta. If you're not familiar with pulse pasta, it is pasta made using pulses such as peas, beans, chick peas and lentils. I made the switch mainly to rebel against giving up one of my ultimate comfort foods, Spaghetti Bolognese. I tried spaghetti made with pulses and found the difference between it and the wheat based version to be miniscule in taste or texture. This encouraged me to try the other pasta shapes too. The only area where I can't give them a wholehearted tick of approval is in price comparison. Pulse pasta is expensive, no two ways about it. As we both love pasta, it was an investment in our health that we chose to make. I was happy to see that Aldi are now stocking some pulse pastas, and whilst still pricier than normal pasta, it is cheaper than what I normally use. When the supermarket pasta drought is over, I'll be giving it a try!

CAULIFLOWER AND KALE PASTA

1 head of cauliflower, approximately 700g
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp All-Purpose Seasoning (I tend to go for the bagged herbs and spices because I use refillable containers, but I wasn't able to find this in a bag, so I used a bottled one called Seasoning All Purpose - Garlic)
340g pasta (pulse or the normal wheat based type, whatever is your preference)
2 anchovy fillets (Yes, you may be cringing at the mention of anchovies, but trust me, cooking them in this way will change your mind. They won't look anything like anchovies when you're done)
1 large head of kale (cut leaves away from the stalks, discard stalks and chop the leaves)
3 tsp minced garlic or 3 cloves garlic, grated
Two good handfuls of baby spinach, torn into smaller pieces.
340mg Ricotta cheese
One large lemon, zested and juiced (keep zest and juice separate)
1 tsp Italian seasoning, or 1/2 tsp each of mixed herbs and oregano
Additional salt and pepper
1/2 cup cream
1 egg
120mg grated Gouda cheese (SK used Fontina cheese which I couldn't source - Gouda was a recommended substitute but you could also use Gruyere or Provolone)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
60mg Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

The pasta and seasoning I used. 

So first up, preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius and cover a rimmed baking tray with bake paper.

Break the cauli into florets onto the tray - it doesn't matter if the range of sizes when done is quite varied. Drizzle them with olive oil and add salt, pepper and all-purpose seasoning, tossing all together to coat. You'll get best results if you get your hands dirty and rub all directly into the cauli. If that grosses you out (don't judge!) use disposable gloves - we probably all have lots of those around right now!

Put the anchovies onto the same tray, and then roast it all in the oven for 35 minutes. This is where the magic happens and the anchovies dissolve, ending up resembling some type of spice mix. Confession: I happen to looooove anchovies, so when I made this the second time, I upped the amount to six. Next time it might be the whole 45g tin! It adds a wonderfully rich saltiness to the dish, but two is fine if making it for the first time.

Remove from the oven, add the kale and garlic and toss everything around so the kale is coated and the anchovies are now mixed through. Put it back in the oven for ten minutes - what appears to be a large amount of kale will wilt a bit and look much less. Remove the pan and set aside. (If you wanted to, you could do this part in advance and keep in the fridge until you're ready).

While the roasting is happening, cook your chosen pasta until it is al dente, or to your liking.

In a large bowl, add the Ricotta, lemon zest, Italian seasoning (or herbs and oregano), pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, cream, egg, half the Parmesan and half of the Gouda. Stir all together well to combine.

Drain pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water. Add pasta to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Add cauliflower and kale mixture plus baby spinach to the bowl and stir again. Add a good splash of the pasta water and give a final stir.

Grease a baking dish. I used a circular casserole dish, 23cm (9 inches) in diameter. Add the mixture to the baking dish.

Pour the lemon juice evenly over the top of the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Gouda cheeses over the top and cover the dish loosely with foil. Bake, covered for 10 minutes.

Remove dish and increase oven temperature to 250 degrees Celsius. Uncover the dish and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. Bake another ten minutes or until the top is just brown and bubbling. Remove and serve.

Notes:

If you have any type of nut allergy, the walnuts are optional. If you, like me do not like walnuts AT ALL then I would still encourage you to give them a try here. My husband is a big walnut fan, so I thought I'd take one for the team and include them - and I felt that the crunch they provided really made the dish. So not only do I increase my intake of cauli, kale and spinach with this one, I get a walnut hit as well. Winner!

If you only have kale and no baby spinach, just up the amount of kale.

If you buy a container of Ricotta that is not exactly 340g, (mine was 370g), don't be afraid to add the extra.

You may not need the whole cup of pasta water, but I've suggested a cup because I didn't need more than a good splash the first time, but for some reason it was a little drier the second time and I used a little more to counteract this. Be flexible.

You could play with the final topping - I love to use sesame seeds, poppy seeds, yeast flakes, pepitas, sunflower seeds, fresh herbs or any combination of these. Experiment, because that's where cooking becomes creating.

I hope you enjoy this one. I knew I was on a winner when my carnivorous son asked for the leftovers.

Because we are living in some pretty mentally challenging times right now, it seemed right to choose Mental as Anything's Let's Cook as the song for this post. A match made in crazy culinary heaven.

What's cooking at your place?

Tracey 🍝


With thanks to the YouTube Channel of the imaginatively titled scarypoultry for Mental as Anything - Let's Cook video

And Sprouted Kitchen for the original inspiration.