It’s day 13 of my cold. The good news is I think I’m finally getting over it. The bad news is my rib cage aches from coughing; whenever I move my right arm or breathe deeply, my muscles start throbbing.
The only upside of being sick was receiving a surprise care package from my local Whole Foods. Can you believe they sent me home with all these provisions on Thursday evening? So much goodness! The macarons didn’t last long and I devoured the sweet-as-honey Gold Nugget mandarins.
Come dinnertime, I turned to my “get well” gift for inspiration and cooked up this pasta with cauliflower and bacon. It’s simple but delicious, especially when topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted bread crumbs and Asiago cheese.
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs (see notes)
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 small head cauliflower, stems removed and florets cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 8 ounces farfalle
- sea salt, to taste
- grated Asiago cheese (for topping)
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add bacon to the fry pan and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain.
- While bacon is cooking, add cauliflower to boiling water and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to the fry pan with bacon grease; keep water at a boil.
- Add garlic to the fry pan and sauté for 3 minutes or until cauliflower starts to brown.
- Meanwhile, cook farfalle until al dente according to package directions. Drain and add to the fry pan along with cooked bacon and remaining olive oil; toss to combine.
- Season with salt to taste. Top with bread crumbs and Asiago cheese.
