Slow-roasting cauliflower means to roast it in the oven for 2 to 3 hours at 160C/320F. Then it gets a completely different texture, flavor, and color. We love slow-roasted cauliflower and I have already published several recipes on this blog featuring it:

• Rack of lamb with slow-roasted cauliflower
• Pasta with slow-roasted cauliflower with lemon and capers
• Slow-roasted cauliflower with chilli, cumin, and lime

However, I haven’t posted the version of pasta with slow-roasted cauliflower that I have been preparing most often lately, and which I served at wine pairing dinners at my house. And so it was time to remedy that. The cauliflower is allowed to shine in this dish, because the thyme and pecorino cheese are only there to support and enhance the cauliflower. It is vegetarian pasta dish in which nobody misses meat.

Ingredients

For 3 or 4 servings

• 300 grams (.33 lb) orecchiette or other short pasta
• 900 grams (2 lbs) cauliflower florets
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt + salt for boiling the pasta
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 50 grams (1.8 oz) freshly grated pecorino cheese
• high-quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F, not fan forced.

Break up or cut the cauliflower into small florets that are more or less of even size. One large cauliflower should yield about 900 grams of florets. Discard the stems and leaves, or save them for another use.

Arrange the cauliflower florets on a large oven dish or baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the cauliflower with 60 ml of olive oil, and season with 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.

Then toss the cauliflower florets until they are coated with oil and salt on all sides.

Roast the cauliflower for about half an hour at 160C/325F, then toss it, and return it to the oven. Try to get any browned parts showing down.

Keep tossing the cauliflower every half hour. If your oven always works with a fan, you should use a temperature of 150C/300F only, and toss more frequently, as otherwise the cauliflower will burn in spots while it is still undercooked.

Keep roasting and tossing until the caulifower is nicely browned. This will take 2 to 3 hours. Please note that a smaller amount of cauliflower will brown more quickly and a larger amount will take more time. If you want to prepare a double amount, I would recommend to roast the cauliflower in two batches (which will take 4-6 hours if you have just one oven) as otherwise it won’t brown properly.

When the cauliflower is almost done, bring a pot of water to a boil, then add salt and the pasta, and boil the pasta for the time indicated on the package. Save some of the pasta cooking water.

Take the cauliflower out of the oven. Add the drained pasta, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves.

Sprinkle with 50 grams of freshly grated pecorino cheese, and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water, and toss the pasta with the cauliflower until the cheese has melted.

Serve at once on preheated plates, drizzled with high quality extra virgin olive oil, and garnished with some more freshly grated pecorino cheese, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Wine pairing

This pasta dish is great with a medium-bodied red wine. At wine pairing dinners, we tried it with these wines:

• Maratray-Dubreuil Aloxe-Corton 2019 (100% Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France): excellent pairing
• Le Cave Castello di Uviglie Barbera 2015 (100% Barbera, Piemonte, Italy): good pairing, but the acidity and tannins of the wine are not a perfect match with the dish
• Raimbault Vielles Vignes Sancerre Rouge 2019 (100% Pinot Noir, Loire, France): excellent pairing
• Campo Viejo Rioja Vindimia Seleccionada 2019 (100% Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain): good pairing but the coconut aromas from the oak aging are a bit too strong
• Raimbault Sancerre Rouge 2022 (100% Pinot Noir, Loire, France): excellent pairing
• Lavignone Barbera d’Asti 2022 (100% Barbera, Piemonte, Italy): excellent pairing