Pasta e cavolfiore al forno — cauliflower and Parmesan pasta bake

Method

1. Preheat the fan oven to 210°C, with the shelf in the upper third. Put 2.5 litres water in a covered 4-litre saucepan over a high heat; it will take about 12 minutes to boil. Meanwhile, wash the cauliflower and divide into 3 cm florets, without large pieces of stalk. Peel the garlic, remove its central shoot and crush with a garlic press. Finely grate the kashkaval and Parmesan into separate piles. Butter the 25 × 20 cm baking dish with 5 g butter.
2. Make the béchamel in a 1.5-litre saucepan while the water finishes heating. If the water boils first, lower the heat and keep covered; it can wait. First melt 10 g butter over a low heat, pour into a bowl and immediately mix in the breadcrumbs with a fork to make the base of the crust. Melt 30 g butter in the same saucepan over a medium heat and soften the garlic for 30 seconds without colouring, flavouring the butter and mellowing the garlic. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute: the roux should foam and smell biscuity without browning. Pour in all the cold milk while whisking, then bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, especially into the corners, for 4–5 minutes. Cook at a gentle simmer for another 3 minutes, until the sauce coats a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clear trail. Off the heat, add the fine salt, nutmeg, pepper and chilli, then cover to keep the béchamel hot without forming a skin.
3. Bring the water back to a rolling boil, add the coarse salt, pour in the macaroni and stir. Drain them 3 minutes before the packet time: still chalky at the centre, they will finish in the oven. The cauliflower cooks for 5 minutes in total. For macaroni with an 8-minute cooking time, drained after 5 minutes, add the cauliflower with the pasta. For macaroni with a 10-minute time, drained after 7 minutes, add it 2 minutes later. Cover briefly to return to the boil quickly, then uncover. While they cook, melt the grated kashkaval into the still-hot béchamel in three additions, stirring until each handful is melted and smooth before adding the next.
4. When ready to drain, a knife tip should enter the base of a floret with slight resistance. Just before draining, reserve 150 g cooking water in a bowl. Drain and shake the colander for 1 minute to remove water from the cauliflower. Immediately return the pasta and cauliflower to the large saucepan off the heat, pour over the sauce and mix gently. The mixture should be quite runny, with the pasta and cauliflower swimming in sauce, as the pasta will absorb a good deal in the oven. If merely coated, loosen with the reserved cooking water, 50 g at a time.
5. Pour into the baking dish and smooth without pressing down. Add the Parmesan to the buttered breadcrumbs, mix with your fingertips and cover the bake evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until bubbling at the edges with a golden, crisp crust. If still pale, cook for another 3 minutes. Do not use the grill, which would burn the Parmesan before warming the centre.
6. Rest out of the oven for 5 minutes: the sauce will firm up while staying creamy between the macaroni and florets. Divide into two portions with a large spoon, scraping up the browned edges.

Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.