Spaghetti with Cauliflower

The first day of 2007 was a brilliant, sunny (if cold) day here in Marin. Perfect weather for a wonderful family hike around Lake Lagunitas and to the top of Pilot Knob, where we were bathed in the last 15 minutes of the day's sunshine and enjoyed spectacular views of Mt. Tam, the lakes, and local towns. When we got home, we were hungry! An early and filling dinner was called for.

Inspired by this recipe from January's Gourmet magazine, this simple spaghetti dish with cauliflower, green olive paste, garlic, and parsley was quick to prepare and very tasty. I simplified by using green olive paste and simply chopping the parsley, rather than processing whole olives and the parsley together. I also switched the almonds from the original recipe to pine nuts. I didn't really fancy almonds with the rest of the ingredients, but the pine nuts were awesome. I also used much less olive oil than the 1/2 cup called for in the original recipe and left out the cheese.

The cauliflower is broken into small florettes and sauted for this recipe. I have to say I love this treatment, producing crisp browned edges, and you really don't have to use much olive. And, as cauliflower is a wonderful antioxidant and a great source of Vitamin C, this recipe is my first 2007 contribution to Sweetnick's ARF (Antioxidant Rich Foods) Tuesday. Many thanks to Cate at Sweetnick's for her weekly commitment to this inspiring food blogger event.

Here's yours truly at the top of Pilot Knob with Mt. Tam in the background.