ingredients:
olive oil
1 head cauliflower
3 large carrots
20 cloves garlic
4 Tb lemon juice (1/4 cup)
salt, pepper
2 cups chickpeas
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs.
pasta for four (~12 oz), prepared according to package directions
equipment: pot and colander for the pasta
large wok or frying pan for the melange.
this dish was inspired by the hummus principle:
1) hummus is good
2) hummus is good with carrots
-and-
3) there was a cauliflower in the fridge at the time.
also, I was reading Dune when I made this dish; so even though it does not contain any cinnimin, it is named Melange after the spice that is mined in dune that makes their universe possible (the pilots use it to get high in order to do the special navigation needed to traverse wormholes and such)
anyways: on to the recipe.
it's also a really cheap recipe, $3 or so per serving.
0) put up a pot of salted water to boil the pasta; and follow directions on the package.
1) chop up cauliflower, into large, bite size pieces; about 2 inches long, by 1 inch wide, with 1/2 inch depth or so. the important thing is that they are all about the same size.
2) blanche them: put them in the wok, with 1/2 cup water, cover it, and turn the heat to high. check them in about 7 minutes, they should be fork-tender at about the same time\
the water is all used up. (this trick also works well for blanching broccolli in other recipes)
3) meanwhile, cut the carrots into coins; all about the same size (1/2 inch thick); and dice the garlic.
4) when the cauliflower is fork tender (a fork just barely goes through it, remove to a bowl.
if the water isn't all boiled off yet; let it go for another 30 seconds or so
then, add 2 Tb of oil, turn down the heat to medium-high, and saute the carrots for 10 minutes, or until they are tender and somewhat caramelized.
5) add the minced garlic, saute for 2 minutes
6) add back in the cauliflower and the chickpeas. saute for 2 minutes
7) add in the lemon juice, and salt and pepper; saute for 2 more minutes.
8) serve on top of pasta, drizzling more olive oil over it, and topping
with whole wheat bread crumbs.
a beautiful cauliflower:
how many carrots to use:
diced carrots:
diced garlic:
stir-frying the carrots:
final stir-fry:
