Fregula with Minted Cauliflower

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine Magazine (November, 2010 issue). In this case, F&W simplified a moroccan dish.

ingredients
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sea salt
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 cup fregula
1/2 cup vegitable broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup mint leaves - torn

directions
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grate half of the cauliflower on the large holes of a box grater, stopping when you reach the stems. You should have about 1 cup grates cauliflower that resembles coursely grated parmesan. Finely chop the stems and the remaining cauliflower. You should have about 2 cups.

2. In a saucepan, add the cauliflower, cream, wter and 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat unti the cauliflower is tender and the liquid if nearl evaporated - about 8 minutes. Scrape the mxture into a food processor and puree until very smooth. Wipe out the sauce-pan and return the puree to it. Keep warm.

3. In a small baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil. Roast for about 10 minutes, until the skins begin to burst.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the fregula and cook until al dente. Drain the fregula and return it to the pot. Add the vegatable broth, the crushed red pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over low heat, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Stir in the grated cauliflower and cook until just tender, about 5 minuted. Stir in the mint.

5. Spoon the cauliflower pursee onto plates. Top with the fregula and roasted tomatoes and serve immediately.

serves 4