1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cored and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled
Generous pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup almonds or pine nuts, toasted and cooled
2-ounce chunk of Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
4 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon drained capers
3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
⅓ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 pound linguine or other pasta
This recipe makes enough for 1 pound of pasta. As I typically do when making pesto, I freeze half and only cook ½ pound of pasta. The recipe calls for dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes. If you can only find oil-packed, drain well and chop them by hand so they don’t get gummy in the food processor.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
To prepare the pesto, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like couscous. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in two batches. Transfer to a large bowl. You should have about 3½ cups.
Pulse the garlic, red pepper flakes, almonds, cheese, tomatoes (*see note), capers and parsley in the food processor until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer to the bowl with the cauliflower. Add the olive oil and ½ teaspoon of vinegar. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon of vinegar if desired.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving one cup of the cooking water before draining.
Toss the hot pasta with the pesto and about half of the reserved cooking water. If the pesto still feels too thick, continue adding water until the pesto is evenly dispersed. Serve immediately with Parmesan grated on top.