Baked Rigatoni with Cauliflower in a Spicy Pink Sauce

Yet another one of my 30 meals worth remembering from my 2009 cooking marathon. This also came from Fine Cooking magazine—it’s the best.

Baked Rigatoni with Cauliflower in a Spicy Pink Sauce

• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes
• 1 lb. yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 3 medium)
• 1-1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. rigatoni
• 1 lb. 1- to 1-1/2-inch cauliflower florets (about 4 cups)
• 10 oz. shredded Fontina (about 2-1/2 cups)
• 2 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano (about 3/4 cup)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil in a large pot with a pasta insert. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. olive oil.
Pour off 1 cup of juice from one of the cans of tomatoes and discard it. In a blender or food processor, purée both cans of tomatoes with their remaining juice and set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil in a 6- to 8-qt. Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, about 1 minute, add the onions and 1/4 tsp. of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Push the onions to the side of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon and add the garlic. Cook until it just starts to sizzle and becomes fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Add the puréed tomatoes and cream (be careful; it will splatter), plus the remaining 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the sauce thickens slightly. Add the parsley and the red pepper flakes, and cook until the flavors are melded, about 5 minutes more. Taste for salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, when the salted water comes to a boil, cook the rigatoni until it’s al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta by lifting out the insert and leaving the water in the pot. Add the pasta to the sauce. Return the water to a boil (with the pasta insert in the pot) and cook the cauliflower until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and add it to the sauce.
Add 1-1/2 cups of the shredded Fontina to the pasta mixture and toss well. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Top the pasta with the remaining 1 cup Fontina and then the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake uncovered until the cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Photo: Scott Phillips

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/baked-rigatoni-cauliflower-pink-sauce.aspx

 

From my blog 2009

Cauliflower Rigatoni earns a 9

This pasta was really good, and besides the cheese, it was pretty healthy. The recipe has you make a basic marinara sauce, then toss in some cauliflower. You combine it with the rigatoni, and some fontina cheese and parmesan cheese, and then bake it like a casserole.

The only problem with this meal is that it's expensive to make. Fontina cheese is $6 for a tiny wedge, and the parmesan is also really expensive. The funniest part is that I sent John to a specialty food store to buy parmigiano reggiano cheese. Well, I didn't tell him how much it should cost, because the only kind I've ever seen there is pretty standard, which sells for $20/lb. You can buy a 1/2 lb. wedge and it will last almost 8 weeks, so it's not too bad. Well, John came home with some variation of the cheese that sold for $40/lb! I didn't even know they sold cheese that cost that much. I think the $40/lb cheese is going to be an inside joke for years.