The Minimalist Cooks Dinner Read Online Free PDF Page B

with poaching cauliflower, then uses the same water to cook the pasta. The cauliflower and pasta ultimately finish cooking in a mix of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, bread crumbs, and some of the reserved cooking water. The fundamental procedures are easy, and build a wonderfully flavorful dish with just a few ingredients.
1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound)
Salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup coarse bread crumbs
1 pound penne, ziti, or other cut pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the cauliflower and divide it into florets. Salt the water, add the cauliflower, and cook until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy. Remove the cauliflower and set it aside; when it is cool enough to handle, chop it roughly into small pieces.
Combine the oil and garlic in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the same water that you used for the cauliflower.
When the garlic is golden, add the cauliflower and bread crumbs to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally. When the pasta is just about done—it should be 2 or 3 minutes shy of being the way you like it—drain it, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
Add the pasta to the skillet with the cauliflower and toss with a large spoon until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with some of the pasta water to keep the mixture from drying out. When the mixture is hot and the pasta tender and nicely glazed, serve.
WINE
Chianti, Beaujolais, or another light red
SERVE WITH
Simple Green Salad
    Keys To SUCCESS
    BE CAREFUL with the garlic—it should not brown in the oil but just begin to color.
    MAKE SURE YOU drain the pasta well short of the done-ness stage, because you want to spend 3 to 4 minutes tossing it in the olive oil along with some of the cooking water, without it becoming too soft.
    With MINIMAL Effort
    |    Substitute broccoli, broccoli raab, or kale for the cauliflower.
    |    Substitute freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for the bread crumbs.
    |    Add 3 or 4 anchovy fillets, with their oil, to the skillet along with the garlic.
    |    Add some crumbled sausage meat or chopped shrimp to the garlic mixture along with the bread crumbs.
    |    Garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
     

Pasta with
Fresh Herbs
    TIME: 30 minutes
    MAKES: 3 main-course to 6 first-course servings
    All winter, I dream of the time when there are so many fresh herbs that it seems imperative to use them at almost every meal. One of my favorite ways to take advantage of this abundance is to mix large quantities of herbs with pasta and a simple base of olive oil and garlic. In winter, a dish like this would not only seem exotic but would also cost a small fortune. In summer, however, it is an inexpensive no-brainer.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup or more mixed herbs, such as parsley, dill, chervil, basil, tarragon, sage, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or mint (leaves and thin stems only)
1 tablespoon butter, optional
Salt
1 pound linguine or other long pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Meanwhile, combine the oil and garlic in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook gently, just until the garlic beings to color, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, wash and mince the herbs. Place them in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. Cut the butter into bits, if you’re using it, and add it to the bowl.
Salt the boiling pasta water and cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and toss with the herbs and reserved oil-garlic mixture. Add a little more olive oil or some of the pasta water if you did not use butter and the mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
WINE
A chilled, dry rosé from