Recipe below: Torta di Cavolfiore with Pistachios, Capers, and Caciocavallo
It’s March, and there’s nothing new yet. I’m talking specifically about local produce. It’s too early even for dandelions. Maybe I could cook daffodils. They’re up all over the place. I’m thinking maybe stuff them with mozzarella and anchovy, twist the tops closed, dunk them in batter, and then give them a fast fry. Doesn’t that sound good? Pretty, too. But I just Googled “Are daffodils edible for humans?” and discovered that they’re not. They contain lycorine, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. So no. We can’t deep-fry them. I should have known, since even deer won’t eat them, and deer eat almost anything. I guess I’ll have to wait for zucchini blossom time. It’s not far away.
So now I am holding a big, beautiful white cauliflower. My first thought is to just go with a gratin, fairly classic, with béchamel, a few scrapings of nutmeg, a bay leaf, and maybe Fontina and Parmigiano. Crumbs on top. One of my favorites. But then my head swivels over to the torta side, as it often does. You all probably know that I love my pizza di scarola, the double-crusted escarole-filled torta I always make for Christmas Eve. I love it at other times of the year as well, like right now, when chicories are still the best greens in the market, at least in New York.
I’ve patterned this new torta somewhat after pizza di scarola, including some traditional ingredients (capers, anchovies) while leaving out others (raisins) and throwing in new ones (thyme, pistachios, caciocavallo), and flavoring it inside and out with Marsala.
It tastes like Napoli, which makes me very happy.
Torta di Cavolfiore with Pistachios, Capers, and Caciocavallo
For the dough:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ to ¾ cup dry Marsala
For the filling:
1 medium cauliflower, any color, cut into small florets
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
2 scallions, cut into thin rounds, using much of the tender green part
A big pinch of ground allspice
A handful of unsalted, shelled pistachios
3 or 4 oil-packed anchovies, well-chopped (I used Ortiz brand)
A palmful of salt-packed Sicilian capers, soaked and rinsed (mine were large, so I chopped them a bit)
6 large thyme sprigs, the leaves lightly chopped
A piece of a fresh green chili, minced (I used a green Italian long hot, about half of it, with its seeds)
A splash of dry Marsala
6 large sprigs Italian parsley, the leaves lightly chopped
1 cup grated caciocavallo or scamorza cheese
1 egg yolk, for the egg wash
Sugar
To make the dough, put the flour in a medium-size bowl. Add the sugar and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil and ½ cup of Marsala, and start by mixing everything around with a wooden spoon. If it seems dry, add a little more Marsala. When it comes together into a shaggy ball, dump it out onto the countertop, and knead it briefly, just until you have a nice smooth ball. Wrap it in plastic, and let it sit for at least an hour, unrefrigerated, before you work with it. You can also refrigerate it overnight, but let it come back to room temperature before you start to roll it out.
To start the filling, set up a pot of water, and bring it to a boil. Blanch the cauliflower for about 2 minutes. Drain it in a colander, and then run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Let it drain.
Set up a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add a big drizzle of olive oil. Add the cauliflower and sprinkle in a little salt. Sauté about a minute longer. Add the scallions, allspice, pistachios, anchovies, capers, thyme, and green chili, giving everything a good mix and sautéing about another minute or so to blend all the flavors. Add a splash of dry Marsala, and let it bubble away. Take the pan from the heat, and let it cool. Then add the parsley and the caciocavallo, and stir them in. Taste for salt. You probably won’t need more with all the salt from the anchovies, capers, and cheese, but you never know.
Set the oven to 400 degrees.
For the egg wash, put the egg yolk in a small cup or bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a drizzle of water, a little salt, and a little sugar, and give it all a good mix.
Brush a sheet pan with olive oil. Cut the dough in half. Roll both pieces out to approximately 8- or 9-inch rounds. They don’t have to be perfect; they just have to fit on the sheet pan. This is a rustico kind of tart, so a little uneven is, in my opinion, good.
Place one of the dough rounds on the sheet pan. Top with the cauliflower mix, spreading it out more or less evenly but leaving an inch free around the rim. Cover it with the other dough round. Crimp the edges for a good seal. I usually just make little folds all around, pressing them down to make sure they can’t pop open during cooking. Make three short knife slits in the top. Brush the top with the egg wash.
Slide the sheet pan with the torta onto the bottom rack of the oven. Bake until the top is nice and golden, about 20 minutes or so. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before slicing.
This tart makes a great antipasto for up to six people. It’s really nice with a glass of falanghina.
An Early Spring Picnic on Gansevoort Street
I like to pick up a mortadella and burrata panino at Sogno Toscano on Perry Street (or maybe instead wrap up a wedge of the cauliflower torta above) and then head west on Gansevoort Street, crossing the West Street highway, where I step right onto the Gansevoort Peninsula. There I find a weird little strip of beach, with actual sand, a few blue Adirondack chairs, and matching umbrellas. At the water’s edge are large rocks. The Hudson gently crashes again them, making a hypnotic water noise. You can’t swim at this man-made little beach, but it’s a good place to sit, eat a sandwich, hang out with the Canada geese, and listen to the rhythm of the tide.
The other side of the peninsula is a stretch of salt marsh planted with native grasses. Good for birding. Last spring I saw a young red-tailed hawk hunting for lunch, and really close up too, only a few feet away. I got a good look at its glassy yellow eyes. If you’re in the neighborhood, you might want to check it out.
Spring is just around the corner.
Erica De Mane 
Snow finally melted here and am tired of making heavy cofort food.
May try this with fennel or asparagus & tweak the flavors a bit – your dough recipe looks great!
As always; thanks for the inspiration ~ KD
Hi KD,
TOday it’s 33 degrees, so not exactly spring yet in NYC. Your fennel idea sounds great.