Spaghetti w/Cauliflower, Broccoli, Mustard

Cauliflower is not my favorite vegetable. This is one of only a handful of recipes that actually gets me to buy it. Blended with the broccoli and mustard butter, the cauliflower gives body to the sauce. It has a light flavor that

This recipe is inspired by a similar recipe from Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown, founders of Green's Restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant on San Francisco Bay. To be honest, I've never been there. I just have the Green's Cookbook.

I've modified their original recipe to make it a little easier to prepare with ingredients I had on hand. For example, they used fresh spinach pasta, I used dried spaghetti. Fresh is probably better for this dish. I think it would be perfect over almost any flavored pasta, or even whole wheat pasta. The lovely and light flavors of the sauce enhance the flavor of the pasta, without covering it up.

Equipment needed
Large pot
Electric mixer or whisk
Mixing bowl
Frying pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Chef's knife

Ingredients
16 oz. dried spaghetti or other pasta
7 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon or other strong mustard.
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced.
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, or 2 teaspoon dried
3 cups cauliflower florets, broken into tiny pieces
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small florets
salt and pepper as needed
Parmesan, or other hard grating cheese.

Directions
Place the butter, along with the mustard, onion, garlic, vinegar and parsley, in a mixing bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer or whisk, and set aside. This can be done well in advance and refrigerated if needed.

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When the water starts to boil, salt the water to taste and drop in the broccoli and cauliflower. Return the water to a boil and cook the vegetables for about 1 minute. Remove the vegetables with a strainer, return the water to a boil, and add the pasta to the water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the flavored butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked broccoli and cauliflower to the pan, along with 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and cook over medium heat for a few minutes to heat through until the sauce reduces slightly. Add the lemon juice and toss well. Cover the pan and turn off the heat.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and toss with the sauce, along with salt and a generous amount ground black pepper to season. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Makes 4 servings.