Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Romanesco

Spaghetti tossed with roasted romanesco and garlicky aglio olio sauce

They've been selling huge heads of romanesco at our farmers market lately. It's a striking bright green alien-looking vegetable that's a cross between cauliflower and broccoli and tastes great roasted, steamed, or sauteed. Here it's tossed with spaghetti, a super strong aglio olio sauce made with a ton of fresh garlic, dried chiles, and anchovies and topped with crispy gremolata breadcrumbs. The anchovies completely melt into the sauce and impart a wonderful salty umami flavor that's not at all fishy or overpowering. It's a simple, homey dish that makes a great weeknight meal and is just as good (if not better) reheated for leftovers the next day.


Note: If you can't find romanesco, this dish would be just as good made with broccoli or cauliflower.


Related Recipes:
- Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Broccoli Cream Pesto
- Spicy Broccoli & Onion Pizza
- Parmesan Roasted Romanesco


Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Romanesco:

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the core from 1 large head of romanesco and cut into bite-size florets.
• Toss the romanesco with 1 tbsp. olive oil and a pinch of salt and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, turning with a spatula once, or until the florets are tender and caramelized in some places.
• While the romanesco is cooking, add a large pinch of salt and 1/2 lb. of spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
• In a large skillet, add 3 tbsp. olive oil, 4-6 thinly sliced cloves of garlic, 2 crumbled chile de arbol,* and 2 anchovy fillets.
• Place the skillet over medium-low heat and cook until the garlic is fragrant and soft and the anchovies have melted, about 5 minutes. This is the aglio olio sauce.
• In another small skillet, melt 1 tbsp. butter and add in 1/4 c. breadcrumbs.**
• Toast the breadcrumbs until golden and crispy, then turn off the heat and stir in the zest of 1/2 lemon and 1 tbsp. minced parsley. Set aside.
• Add the romanesco to the aglio oil and toss to combine.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 c. pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the skillet. Add some of the pasta water to moisten.
• Toss the pasta together with the sauce and romanesco for a minute or two.
• Divide the pasta onto plates and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.

Serves two-three

*Can substitute for 2 large pinches of red chili flakes.

**To make breadcrumbs, tear a piece of stale baguette into pieces, then pulse in a blender or food processor until ground into crumbs. Or use store bought panko breadcrumbs.

Moscow Mules

Ginger beer, lime, and vodka served in traditional copper mugs

It's Friday, which means you're probably needing a cocktail (if you haven't already started) for that party you're hosting this weekend, or for pre-gaming tonight, or to enjoy on the couch after a long week of work. Moscow mules are one of my go-to drink recipes because they are so easy to make but always manage to impress people. It's just a mixture of vodka, ginger beer (non-alcoholic, tastes like a stronger ginger ale), and freshly squeezed lime juice and is served over ice. I like to go heavy on the lime in all my drinks, but it's easy to adjust this recipe to whatever tastes best to you. It's a super refreshing cocktail that goes down easy and hides the booze well. If you're lucky enough to have warm weather this weekend, it also makes a fantastic day drink.


Note: Moscow mules are traditionally served in copper mugs. These were a wedding gift and guests are always complimenting them. In addition to looking cool, they keep the drinks ice cold.


More Refreshing Drink Recipes:
- Jalapeno Margaritas
- Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
- Mojitos


Moscow Mules:

• Fill a copper mug with ice.
• Pour in 1/4 c. vodka and the juice of 1 lime.
• Add in 1/2 c. ginger beer and stir to combine.
• Garnish with a lime wedge.
• Repeat.

Makes as many as you want

Three Easy Fish Dinners

Incorporate more fish into your diet with these quick and easy recipes

Pictured: Grilled Swordfish with Eggplant-Pepper Relish

A lot of people are intimidated by cooking fish, but it actually makes a super easy and delicious weeknight meal. Fish is a great source of lean protein, full of essential vitamins and nutrients, and is one of the quickest-cooking choices for a simple and healthy meal. I make salmon, trout, or mahi mahi pretty often because they are relatively inexpensive and are readily available at our local seafood market. Feel free to use whatever is fresh and local in your area and don't be afraid to try substitutions in these recipes. There are a lot of high-quality frozen fish available at the supermarket nowadays, too.

We try and eat some type of fish at least once a week and it's easy to fall into the same routine of pan-searing or baking it and serving it alongside a veggie or grain. But it's just as easy to add a quick marinade or sauce to make the dish more exciting. Here are some of my favorite simple fish recipes to turn to on busy weeknights. These dishes are quick to prepare but are exciting enough to serve for company.


Click here to see a full list of Kitchen Sink Diaries' fish dishes.


Quick & Easy Fish Dinners:

• Roasted Salmon with Scallion-Soy-Sriracha Butter - Simple roasted salmon is transformed with an Asian-flavored compound butter that melts on top and glazes the fish.
• Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grapefruit & Avocado Salsa - Tangy grapefruit and creamy avocado add a ton of fresh, bright flavor to grilled mahi. If you can't find mahi, the salsa would be great on almost all fish.
• Rainbow Trout Almondine - This is a classic French recipe that never fails to deliver. Pan-seared trout gets topped with crunchy, buttery, slivered almonds.

**Want more quick weeknight meal ideas? Check out these easy chicken dinners or quick-cooking stir-fries.