gemelli with cauliflower, bacon and sage

this was so delicious and so quick to make!  the sauce is quite spare and works great if you eat it piping hot.  however, if it sits a few minutes, or you want to have leftovers, i would mix about 1/2 C of some sort of dairy (just whatever you have on hand--milk, half and half, even a thin sour cream) when you add the pasta water. 

i used prosciutto instead of bacon and therefore didn't cook it over the stove, but briefly broiled it.  i also added some parmesan shavings on top.  from everyday food magazine.

ingredients:

3/4 lb gemilli or other short pasta (i used casarecce)
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 in pieces
3 T butter
5 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets (our local grocer had orange cauliflower--that was a fun change)
2 T fresh sage leaves, chopped (i had some freeze dried that worked perfectly)
2 t red wine vinegar

directions:

boil and drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 C of the water.  meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 10 minutes. with a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. add butter, onions, and garlic to skillet and cook until onions are softened, 10 minutes. add cauliflower, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, 8 minutes. stir in bacon and sage and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. add cauliflower mixture to pot with pasta. stir in vinegar and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. season with salt and pepper.