On Reader’s Digest, Toilets, and Cauliflower Ragu
Every. Single. Year. My in-laws foist upon us a subscription to Reader’s Digest. I remember a couple of decades ago asking my dad what Reader’s Digest was, and he told me—probably referring to the hardback compilations of abridged novels they used to put out—that it was writing hacked down for people with short attention spans and minimal vocabulary skills. Actually, he didn’t really say it that way, but that was my takeaway from that particular conversation. At any rate, like some other similarly-anticipated monthly events, Reader’s Digest arrives on time, without fail, on the first week of the month. Some people get their “check.” I get my Reader’s Digest. We’ve decided here that the best and highest purpose for Reader’s Digest is toilet reading. After all, it’s compact, mindless, and it’s hacked down for people with short attention spans; and let’s face it: sometimes we need to concentrate on the John.
So imagine my surprise when, not actually on the toilet (no, really…I wasn’t) I came across a little article by Sarah Moulton that featured a few recipes by Mario Batali, who I think is brilliant in several ways excepting his wardrobe. Regardless, though, the recipe I found for Pennette with Cauliflower Ragu was so compelling that I immediately ripped the page from my tome and I plan to make it for supper tonight. There’s something so satisfying about the nutty-meaty quality of cauliflower, and matched with toasted breadcrumbs, the bite of garlic and onions, the heat of crushed red pepper, and the perfume of rosemary and creamy Parmigiano-Reggiano I already know this is a winner just by looking at the ingredient list. The recipe is here: http://kindnessofravens.blogspot.com/2010/03/from-nest.html
My plan is to alter the cooking method to flash saute and caramelize the ingredients rather than stew them. I think this will heighten the flavor, intensify the sweetness of the alliums, and make that cauliflower shine. Course, then it won’t really be a ragu, but I promise I’ll make the authentic version sometime.
So, all that being said, my suspicion of Reader’s Digest couldn’t be suppressed until I verified that the Reader’s Digest version of the recipe wasn’t some bastardized version intended for those with short attention spans and limited vocabularies. And much to my surprise, it’s legit. So today I eat crow, Reader’s Digest. I eat it as an amuse bouche before I suck down a big steaming pile of Batali’s awesomesauce.
Happy eating. And happy reading.
