Featured Recipe
Garlic Cream Linguines Twist
By Kate
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Linguines tossed in a rich garlic cream sauce with finely chopped Romanesco instead of broccoli, tender roasted cauliflower, and crispy shallot chips. Reduced chicken stock forms the base of the sauce, thickened with arrowroot starch. Olive oil and browned garlic meld with the creamy sauce, coating al dente pasta. Parmesan shards add savory saltiness. A quick sauté develops aroma and texture in the vegetables, contrasting softness and crunch. Swap shallots for garlic chips to introduce mild sweetness and complexity. Timing hinges on tender-crisp cruciferous veggies and sauce consistency.
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Prep:
35 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
Serves:
4 servings
garlic
cream
Romanesco
vegetarian
pasta
Introduction
Garlic cream sauce made from reduced chicken stock and aromatic garlic cloves forms a silky base. Swap broccoli for Romanesco for a nutty, slightly sweeter bite that holds up after pulsing to ‘couscous’ texture - cuts cooking time and integrates flavor better. Instead of raw garlic chips, crisp shallots add a milder crunch with a nuanced sweetness - no bitterness risk. The cauliflower gets a simple browned sauté for caramel notes, tender yet structured. Toss with al dente linguines, finishing in sauce to marry flavors closely. Parmesan shards lend bursts of umami and melt slowly against the hot surface. Timing is sensory—look for soft garlic, tender but not mushy veggies, and glossy pasta coated thoroughly. Skip overcooking or thickening to glue; balance matters.
Ingredients
Garlic Cream
- 900 ml (3 3/4 cups) chicken stock
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream 35 %
- 2 heads garlic, peeled cloves
- 10 ml (2 tsp) arrowroot starch
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) cold water
- 1/2 head Romanesco, chopped into small pieces
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 225 g (1/2 lb) linguines
- 30 g (1/4 cup) Parmesan shards
- 30 g (1/4 cup) crispy shallot chips
Pasta and Veggies
About the ingredients
Using chicken stock instead of broth concentrates flavor, better reduction and a richer body. Heavy cream can be swapped for mascarpone or crème fraîche if you prefer tang. Arrowroot starch replaces cornstarch for clearer thickening and a silkier mouthfeel, especially when dealing with acidic or dairy ingredients. Pulsing Romanesco avoids over-softness and imparts a pleasant texture different from plain florets. Shallots crisp more gently than garlic and reduce bitterness pitfalls; if unavailable, fried onions or even pak choi leaves crisped in oil make creative alternatives. Olive oil quality directly affects the aromatics here; a grassy, peppery variety rewards with depth. Parmesan shards over finely grated cheese prevent clumping and give bursts of flavor. For a vegan take, swap chicken stock for vegetable stock, use coconut cream, and replace Parmesan with nutritional yeast or aged cashew cheese. Crisp fried sage leaves pair well with shallots if you want herb complexity.
Method
Garlic Cream
- 1. Pour chicken stock, cream, and peeled garlic cloves into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a lively simmer - gentle bubbling across the surface, not a full rolling boil that scorches the cream. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Let garlic soften and flavors condense as the liquid reduces by half - about 18-22 minutes. The garlic should feel knife-tender, nearly melting when pressed but not breaking apart entirely. Excess moisture evaporates; aroma becomes deeply roasted-garlicky. Remove from heat.
- 2. Blend mixture with an immersion blender until silky smooth. The sauce should have a velvety consistency with fine garlic bits dispersed. Return saucepan to medium heat, just to barely simmer.
- 3. In a small bowl, whisk arrowroot starch into cold water until fully dissolved - no lumps. Drizzle this slurry slowly into the simmering sauce while whisking constantly. The sauce will thicken quickly. Keep whisking for another 1-2 minutes over low heat to activate starch without starchy flavour or cloudiness. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and reserve.
- 4. Pulse Romanesco in a food processor until grainy, roughly the size of couscous grains - about 180 ml (3/4 cup). Avoid pureeing into a paste; texture matters for contrast. This step reduces cooking time and distributes the vegetable evenly through the pasta.
- 5. Heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add Romanesco 'couscous' and cook gently until just tender with a slight bite - around 4 minutes. Stir often but gently; no browning desired here. Transfer to a bowl to rest.
- 6. In the same skillet (wipe if needed), raise heat to medium-high. Add remaining 45 ml olive oil and sliced garlic cloves. Fry until garlic chips form light golden edges with a crisp snap. Remove garlic chips onto paper towel to drain and keep warm. Do not burn garlic - bitterness ruins sauce.
- 7. Using the garlicky oil remaining, add cauliflower florets. Sauté, stirring frequently, until florets are tender but still firm to the bite with golden spots from the pan - about 6 minutes. You should hear the vegetables gently sizzle and smell the nutty roasting developing.
- 8. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguines until al dente, usually 8-10 minutes depending on brand. Taste to check; noodles should be tender but with a firm chew in the center. Drain well.
- 9. Return pasta to the empty pot on medium-low heat. Pour garlic cream sauce over pasta. Toss continuously using tongs or two large forks until pasta strands are fully lacquered with sauce and warm throughout, about 2 minutes. The sauce will cling better to noodles warmed through. Add Romanesco and stir gently to combine.
- 10. Plate pasta by twisting servings onto plates vertically using tongs or a carving fork and large spoon to create height. Spoon remaining sauce from pot over pasta nest.
- 11. Nestle sautéed cauliflower around pasta mounds. Sprinkle Parmesan shards generously over. Scatter crispy shallot chips on top and around for texture and sharp, sweet notes.
- 12. Serve immediately. Parmesan melts slightly on the warm pasta; garlic aroma fills the air. Textural contrast between tender pasta, soft vegetables, and crunchy shallots makes each bite varied and inviting.
Pasta and Vegetables
Technique Tips
Simmer garlic gently in stock and cream to infuse but avoid harsh garlic bite or cream separation. Reduction concentrates flavor and develops a silky base—do not rush this with too high heat which risks scorching cream. Blending after cooking ensures no raw bits and a consistent texture. Thickening step requires patience; add arrowroot slowly with constant whisking to smooth integration and avoid lumps. Vegetable pulsing into couscous-sized bits hastens cooking and ensures even flavor without clumps of veggie overpowering bite. Toasted garlic chips demand attention; once edges brown quickly submerge into paper towel to stop cooking and avoid scorch bitterness. Leftover garlicky oil is flavor gold—use for browning cauliflower, transferring aromatics directly. Linguines must be cooked al dente to hold shape mixing with sauce; overcooked pasta dissolves and messes texture. Toss pasta gently in sauce off direct high heat to prevent burning or drying out sauce base. Plating vertically keeps sauces pooling and delivers a professional presentation. Use tongs and forks for neat twirling. Adding the vegetable hits last preserves colors and textures, keeping components distinct but harmonious. Crispy shallot chips on top add crunch that contrasts with the creamy sauce and soft pasta, finishing clean and modulated. If sauce becomes too thick when resting, swirl in reserved pasta water to loosen, never add plain water or risk thinning flavor.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Trim Romanesco into small even pieces, they cook better. Pulse until grainy but not mush—texture really matters. Do this carefully.
- 💡 Careful with garlic—light golden only. Burned garlic is bitter. It happens fast. Use medium heat, keep an eye on it. Remove promptly.
- 💡 Use high-quality chicken stock. It enriches flavor; affect sauce's base. If not available, use vegetable stock for a vegan option. Works in the sauce.
- 💡 Crispy shallots add crunch—use fresh ones. Store bought works too. If no shallots, thin fried onions or even pak choi crisped. Consider alternatives.
- 💡 When mixing pasta with sauce, keep it low heat. Toss continuously. Makes sure every strand gets coated well. Too high and sauce dries out.
