Pasta with Spicy Broccoli & Cauliflower

This pasta recipe is from Zuni (surprise, surprise) and it's fantastic. The secret is getting the broccoli carmelized and the bread crumbs add an amazing crunch!

Pasta with Spicy Broccoli & Cauliflower

From Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers

Serves 4 to 5

1 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs (about 2 oz), made from crust-less, slightly stale, chewy, white peasant-style bread

3/4 cup mild-tasting olive oil

12 ounces broccoli, trimmed, with a few inches of stem intact

12 ounces cauliflower, leaves removed and stem end trimmed flush

Salt

1 generous tablespoon capers, rinsed, pressed dry between towels and slightly chopped

1 pound penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli or medium shells

1 tablespoon chopped salt-packed anchovy fillets (4 to 6 fillets) (optional)

6 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly pounded in a mortar

4 to 8 pinches dried chili flakes

1 tablespoon tightly packed, coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 to 5 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted black olives such as Niçoise, Gaeta or Nyons (rinsed to remove excess brine)

If using bread crumbs, preheat oven to 425º.

Toss bread crumbs with 2 teaspons oil, spread on baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, until golden. 

Slice broccoli and cauliflower 1/8 inch thick, and generally lengthwise. Most of the slices will break apart, yielding a pile of stem pieces, tiny green broccoli buds, loose cauliflower crumbs and a few delicate slabs with stem and flower both. Don't worry if the slices are uneven - that will make for more textural variety.

Warm about 1/4 cup of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add most of the sliced broccoli and cauliflower, conveniently leaving the smallest bits behind for now. (They'll burn if added too soon.) The oil should sizzle quietly. Swirl the pan and leave the vegetables to cook  until you see the edge bits browning (about 3 minutes). Salt very lightly and toss or stir and fold gently. Add a few more spoonfuls of oil and scrape the remaining bits of broccoli and cauliflower into the pan. Add capers and swirl gently. Continue cooking over medium heat until edges begin to brown, another few minutes, then give the pan another stir or toss. Don't stir too soon or too often - or you will get a homogenous steam pile of vegetables instead of a crispy, chewy one. 

Meanwhile, drop the pasta in to 6 quarts of boiling, salted water. Stir, and cook al dente. Set a wide bowl or platter on the stovetop to heat.

Once the mass of broccoli and cauliflower has shrunken by about a third and is largely tender, reduce the heat, add another few spoonfuls of oil, and scatter the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel and chili over all. Give the vegetables a stir. Cook for another few minutes, then add the parsley and olives. Taste - every flavor should be clamoring for dominance. Adjust as needed.

Toss with the well-drained pasta and garnish with warm, toasted bread crumbs.