Pasta with spicy broccoli and cauliflower from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant (page 203) by Judy Rodgers

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute spaghetti pasta, orecchiette pasta, fusilli pasta, or pasta shells for penne pasta.

  • bernalgirl on February 12, 2022

    I had an enormous cauliflower and wanted a simple side for grilled salmon and a green salad. This filled the bill, I substituted chopped anchovy-stuffed olives for oil cured, thereby removing almost every pop of color but we all enjoyed this simple and flavorful dish.

  • Lepa on November 12, 2020

    This was a good way to use up a lot of cauliflower and broccoli that was in my refrigerator and, in the end, it was pretty good. But we didn't love it and there are several broccoli/pasta and cauliflower/pasta recipes I cook regularly that are much better. Probably not a repeat.

  • TrishaCP on July 14, 2020

    We enjoyed this pasta, though I agree there was a bit of oily mouthfeel at the end and I would use pasta water in place of some of the oil next time. I would also skip the fennel- I agree it tasted a bit out of place. I had purple cauliflower from my CSA and it was very pretty in this dish. I didn’t use the breadcrumbs but did use the anchovies.

  • lorloff on May 16, 2020

    Really wonderful brilliant dish I can’t agree more with the others who recommended it. The technique was spot on. I thought there would be too much vegetable for the size of the pan but she was right it cooked perfectly. Don’t skip the homemade optional breadcrumbs. They turn the dish into a show stopper. Will make again.

  • Barb_N on March 29, 2020

    We made this to use both broccoli and cauliflower from an earlier grocery run. We did not have olives so put a bit of tapenade in, along with the capers, anchovies and red pepper flakes. I think we skimped too much on the oil and did not compensate with pasta water. It served its purpose to avoid food waste, but not my favorite.

  • mistercalvert on March 27, 2020

    The recipe - as with so many of Judy Rodgers' - was simple, easy to follow produced a brilliant, tasty and (it was pointed out) vegan supper dish. This has gone straight to become a firm family favourite. Slicing and browning the cauliflower / broccolli is a must and I used less oil (by a tablespoon) than suggested.

  • fprincess on May 15, 2014

    This recipe was not completely successful for me but could work with a few tweaks. I liked the technique where the vegetables are sliced thin and browned to create flavor, with the other elements added towards the end so they maintain a sharper flavor. Regarding the overall taste, I felt that the fennel seeds were a distraction and I would skip them. The end result was a little oily, even though I had reduced the amount of olive oil that the recipe called for. Review & photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/36348-zuni-cafe-cookbook-by-judy-rogers/?p=1968722

  • Zosia on May 13, 2014

    Very flavourful and quite easy to make. I used only broccoli, omitted the anchovies (to keep it vegetarian), and reduced the oil to 1/4 cup, adding a little pasta cooking water at the end. This will definitely be repeated.

  • wester on September 01, 2010

    This does not have the surprise value anymore that it must have had when this book first came out, but it is still a very good dish with bold flavors. Not too complicated to make. The main difficulty is not burning the vegetables while not being afraid to let them caramelize nicely. The slicing technique given is nice as well.

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Reviews about this recipe

  • Cupcake Muffin

    Although it contains various ingredients that are semi-questionable to picky eaters - broccoli, anchovies, and olives - everyone really enjoyed it. I like how all the veggies get caramelized...

    Full review
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