- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/2 cup currants or raisins
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound linguine
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the pine nuts until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Put the cauliflower in a large frying pan. Add the currants, water, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is almost tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan.
- Put the butter in the pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the butter is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower mixture, the oil, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the linguine and toss with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, the cauliflower mixture, pine nuts, Parmesan, and parsley. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan.