The Back Yard Lemon Tree

I used to make this pasta a lot. I was reminded to revisit it after many years because I had a couple packets of Girolomoni wholemeal spelt pasta in pantry. That is the thing about this dish, you need the heft of a good quality wholemeal pasta, to stand up to robust flavors of the cauliflower and feta.

The orginal recipe comes from Alice Waters’ book Chez Panisse Vegetables. I’ve adapted it from the original by halving the pasta and cauliflower. The original recipe makes a ginormous amount of pasta and even though it makes excellent leftovers it was still a bit too much for my small family. The currants are an optional add on but I love the pops of sweetness against the saltiness of the feta. This makes a generous amount of pasta to feed 3-4 people but served at room temperature it also can also pass as pasta salad and as a side in a bigger spread.

Pasta with cauliflower with walnuts and feta

Adapted from Alice Waters Chez Panisse Vegtables via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 3-4

• 1 head of cauliflower Core removed and cauliflower cut into small florets (you should end up with about 700g or 1 1/2 pounds of cauliflower)
• 1 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of currants (optional)
• 250g (1/2 pound) of wholemeal pasta (I use wholemeal spelt pasta)
• Salt and Pepper
• A generous pinch of chilli flakes (I use Aleppo chilli flakes)|
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of currants (Optional)
• 120g (4 ounces) of ricotta salata or feta
• Juice of half a lemon
• White wine vinegar
• olive oil
• Finely chopped parsley

1. Cook pasta until al dente.
2. While pasta is cooking heat olive oil in large pan and saute cauliflower until it begins to soften. Season with salt and pepper and add sliced onion currants and red pepper to pan.
3. Toss onion through caulflower and continue to saute until cauliflower is just tender and lightly browned. Finally add a splash of olive oil and add chopped garlic to pan let garlic sizzle briefly, remove from heat and toss through walnuts.
4. Season caulliflower with lemon and white wine vinegar. Add pasta to pan and toss through. Add more olive oil to pasta so it is nicely coated. Check pasta for seasoning, add more salt, pepper, lemon juice and white wine vinegar to get a balance of flavors.
5. Serve topped with crumbled feta and chopped parsley.