Recipes Spaghetti with Cauliflower 4.0 (3,911) Add your rating & review For Michael Psilakis, macaronia ("pasta") has always meant chicken stewed with spaghetti, tomatoes, cinnamon, raisins and pine nuts. Those are the dominant ingredients here, except he's substituted chicken with cauliflower. By Michael Psilakis Michael Psilakis Why he won Because he has ingeniously redefined Greek cooking in America. Born New York City; 1968. First career Accounting. “Then I decided to go to law school and started waiting tables at T.G.I. Friday’s to pay for it. I found out I liked the restaurant industry.” How he got into cooking “I bought a restaurant on Long Island, Café Angelica, and worked as a maître d’. I loved it; it was like My Big Fat Greek Wedding every night. One day, the chef left without notice. Customers were coming, so I went back to the kitchen and did the best I could. It wasn’t a fun day, but it was a fortunate one.” Flavor obesession “I’m an acid freak. The more complex a dish is, the more important acidity is—it stops palate fatigue. It keeps you going after the fourth or fifth bite.” Fantasy restaurant partner Jim Morrison. “The food would be deeply conceptual, and the crowd would be artsy and intellectual. I’d love to know what his foodie friends—if he had any—would have thought.” Won Best New Chef at: Anthos, New York City Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 24, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Ditte Isager Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 4 to 6 Ingredients 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 head of cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup golden raisins 1 pound spaghetti Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the panko and toast until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower, garlic and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock, vinegar, tomato sauce, tomato paste and raisins and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the cauliflower and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer the spaghetti to bowls, garnish with the pine nuts and panko and serve. Suggested Pairing Juicy Sicilian rosé. Rate it Print