PASTA WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BLUE CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

Servings: 3-4 Total time: 55 minutes 1 head cauliflower, cut into 2-cm florets ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¾ tsp kosher salt, more as needed 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 large or 2 small leeks, halved and thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tbsp thyme leaves, more for serving 225g short pasta such as campanelle, orecchiette, conchiglie, farfalle or fusilli 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature 170g Gorgonzola dolce, crumbled, at room temperature

Fresh lemon juice, to taste 2 tbsp chopped chives, for serving

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 215 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer, and bake for 20 minutes.

2. Add leeks, garlic and thyme to the cauliflower on the sheet pan, then roast another 20 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through, until they are very tender and deeply caramelised.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until it is 1 minute shy of being al dente. (It will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pot.) Scoop out about 1 cup pasta water (a coffee mug is good for this), then drain pasta. Return the pasta to the empty pot, along with butter, Gorgonzola, remaining ¾ tsp pepper and ½ cup pasta water, stirring to melt cheese.

4. Toss roasted vegetables into pasta, then stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add more pasta water if mixture looks dry. To serve, spoon into bowls and top with chives and sprinkle of thyme leaves.