Sunday Paper Recommends

At The Sunday Paper, we want to inspire you to gather at your table…virtually or with friends and family…and open your heart and mind to conversations that will move the needle. After all, the dinner table is where we connect on topics and map out the changes we can all make that'll really move the needle.

This week, to encourage your conversations, we recommend checking out the following:

Carla Lalli Music's new cookbook, That Sounds So Good, filled with homey, comforting, easy recipes. (Read on for a festive recipe!)

Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy by Congressman Jamie Raskin. A critical read about our nation's present and future.

This enlightening conversation between Rich Roll and Tim Ferris on The Tim Ferris Podcast about making important life changes at any stage. Listen here.

 

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Carla Lalli Music's Spaghetti with Melted Cauliflower Sauce

4 servingsIn this humble pasta sauce, an extended sauna in olive oil and garlic transforms cauliflower from crisp and peppery to soft and sweet. If the cauliflower you bought is substantially larger than 1 pound, lop off a piece first so the ratio of vegetable to noodle isn't out of whack.1 small head cauliflower (about 1 pound)1 large shallot6 garlic cloves½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzlingKosher salt; freshly ground pepper4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained1 teaspoon mild chile flakes, such as Aleppo pepper1 pound spaghetti½ cup grated Parmigiano, plus more for serving1 lemonTrim the base of the cauliflower but don't core it. Snap off the outermost leaves from the base, leaving the pale green inner ones. Roughly chop the cauliflower. Transfer cauliflower to a food processor and pulse into pieces no bigger than ½ inch (some bits will be smaller). Finely chop the shallot. Thinly slice the garlic.Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium. Add the shallot and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the anchovies and cook, stirring, until they disintegrate, 1 minute more. Add the cauliflower and season with the chile flakes plus more salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the cauliflower is coated in oil and starting to sweat, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is lightly browned and essentially rendered to very tasty mush, 30 to 35 minutes.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. When cauliflower is almost done, cook the spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, 3 to 4 minutes less than the time indicated on the package (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Using tongs or a mesh spider, transfer pasta to the pot with cauliflower sauce, along with about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid (or scoop out about 2 cups of the pasta liquid, then drain pasta in a colander). Bring sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring and tossing pasta into sauce as you gradually add ½ cup Parm. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta liquid as needed, until the spaghetti is very al dente and sauce has thickened enough to generously coat the pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Halve lemon and squeeze juice into pot and stir to combine. Serve pasta with more Parm at the table.From the MarketCauliflowerShallotSpin ItRomanesco is an excellent sub for cauliflower; or use broccoliIn summer, try this with zucchini in place of cauliflower; it might take longer to cook because of its water content.Half a small onion can replace the shallot-----------------At HomeGarlicOlive oilSalt and pepperAnchoviesMild chile flakesSpaghettiParmigianoLemonSpin ItOmit the anchovies if you prefer; or season with fish sauce toward the end of cooking.Use bucatini instead of spaghetti, or a short tubular pasta, such as mezze rigatoni, or something twisted, like fusilli or gemelliReprinted from That Sounds So Good by Carla Lalli Music. Copyright © 2021 by Carla Lalli Music. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.