WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Bold, rustic flavors and hearty textures make this an exceptional pasta meal. The high-heat roasting transformed the cauliflower from a mild-mannered vegetable into an intensely flavored, sweetly nutty foil for the campanelle, a ruffled cone-shaped pasta that looks a little like a flower. For golden cauliflower, we sliced the head into wedges to create maximum surface area while leaving the core and florets intact. Tossing the cauliflower with a little sugar jump-started the browning; preheating the baking sheet also helped to develop lots of flavor. For the sauce, we focused on a simple lemon–roasted garlic
combination, rounded out with fresh parsley and Parmesan. We topped each serving with a handful of pleasingly crunchy toasted walnuts. If campanelle is unavailable, farfalle or fusilli makes a good substitute.

Serves 4 to 6

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 garlic heads
• 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into 8 equal wedges
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra for seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound campanelle
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut ½ inch off top of each garlic head to expose most of tops of garlic cloves. Place garlic heads, cut side up, in center of 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Drizzle each with ½ teaspoon oil and gather foil tightly around garlic to form packet. Place packet on oven rack next to baking sheet and roast until garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes.
2. While garlic roasts, drizzle cauliflower wedges with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and sugar in bowl; rub gently to distribute oil and seasonings. Remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully lay cauliflower wedges cut side down on hot baking sheet. Roast cauliflower until well browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Transfer cauliflower and garlic packet to cutting board and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, cut cauliflower into ½-inch pieces and unwrap garlic. Gently squeeze garlic cloves from skin into small bowl, and mash smooth with fork. Stir in lemon juice and pepper flakes, then slowly whisk in remaining ¼ cup oil.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
5. Add chopped cauliflower, garlic sauce, Parmesan, parsley, and ¼ cup reserved cooking water, and toss to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed.
6. Sprinkle individual portions with walnuts and serve with extra Parmesan.