350 gm (½ small) cauliflower,
cut into florets
2 tbsp olive oil
500 gm dried orecchiette
Finely grated rind of
1 lemon, juice of ½, plus
lemon wedges (optional)
to serve
Finely grated parmesan,
to serve
(^) WALNUT BROWN-BUTTER
PESTO
185 gm cold butter, diced
¼ cup (firmly packed) sage
leaves
80 gm roasted walnuts
30 gm grated parmesan
1 long red chilli, coarsely
chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Preheat oven to 250°C.
Place cauliflower on a baking
tray, drizzle with olive oil and
season to taste. Roast until
golden and edges are slightly
charred (8-10 minutes).
2 Meanwhile, for walnut
brown-butter pesto, cook
butter in a small saucepan over
medium-high heat until foaming
and nut brown (4-5 minutes),
then add sage and stir until
crisp. Set aside a few leaves
for garnish, then transfer sage
butter to a food processor,
add remaining ingredients,
Orecchiette with cauliflower and
walnut brown-butter pesto SERVES 4-6
This is far from the traditional basil pesto, but it has nuts and parmesan in the mix. The name
derives from the Italian word “pestare”, to pound. We’ve sped things up with a food processor.
blitz to a coarse purée and
season to taste.
3 Cook orecchiette in a
large saucepan of boiling
salted water until al dente
(10-12 minutes). Drain, reserving
about 80ml pasta water, and
return pasta to pan. Add pesto,
cauliflower, lemon rind and
juice, toss to combine, adding
a little pasta water to loosen,
and season to taste. Top with
parmesan and reserved sage
leaves and serve with
lemon wedges. ➤
Orecchiette Phendai white
bowl from The Design Hunter.
Tara Dennis tin plate from David
Jones. Chicken Studio.W Osaka
bowl from David Jones. All other
props stylist’s own. Sausages All
props stylist’s own. Stockists p175.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 67
Quick meals