Cauliflower With Saffron, Pepper Flakes, Plenty Of Parsley, And Pasta Recipe

Deborah madison's cauliflower and pasta dish from her new cookbook vegetable literacy is a surprise of a recipe. It almost looks like something i'd throw together without thinking, but has a few tweaks that make it stand out from my ordinary dinners. First, she uses what may look like a dangerous amount of red pepper flakes; her scant teaspoon looks menacing compared to my usual pinch or two. Also, she throws in parsley, lots of parsley, in three places--some of it is cooked with garlic to mellow, some of it is wilted into the cooked pasta, and the rest is thrown in at the end for a bright finish. But the real winner here is saffron. The floral taste of saffron always reminds me of bouillabaisse; tasting bites of madison's cauliflower dish takes my mind to the french stew but for much less time and effort.