PASTA CUI VRUOCCOLI ARRIMINATA
Pasta with Cauliflower Sauce

2 ounces golden raisins
10 ounces (approximately) cauliflower, cored and separated in flowerets
1 small onion
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 3 flat anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup warm water
2 ounces pine nuts
1 pound spaghetti
 3/4 cup of sharp pecorino cheese, grated
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, minced

Soak the raisins in a cup of hot water.
Cook the cauliflower flowerets briefly (just enough to soften them a bit) in salted boiling water; drain them and set aside.
Cut the onion into thin slivers and sauté them in the olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan large enough to contain the cauliflower and the cooked pasta. When the onion is transparent and golden, lower the heat and add the anchovies; break them with a fork  and dissolve them in the oil.  Stir in the tomato paste dissolved in a cup of warm water, bring to a boil for a minute or two, then cover and set to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the raisins, dry them a bit, and add them with the pine nuts to the sauce. Put the cauliflower into the saucepan with the sauce, stir with a wooden spoon without breaking the flowerets and cover and cook over low heat.
Cook the spaghetti in abundant boiling salted water. Drain it well when al dente, and transfer it into the saucepan with the cauliflower. Raise the heat and mix the pasta and sauce well for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of pecorino cheese mixed with the basil leaves. 

Serves 4