Name: Sicilian Broccoli and Cauliflower Pasta Recipe
Yield: Serves 8-10.
Ingredients: 1 bunch broccoli, trimmed of tough ends; 1 head cauliflower, quartered, core removed; 2 medium yellow onions, sliced 1/4 inch, lengthwise; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; A generous pinch of saffron threads; A generous pinch of red pepper flakes, more to taste; 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped; olive oil as needed; 2 tablespoons golden raisins, plumped in warm water, drained; 1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts; 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley for garnish; Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste, about 1 cup; kosher salt, to taste; 1 pound dried pasta, sturdy variety such as Penne Rigate (cooked al dente, according to package directions); 1 cup pasta water, reserved from cooking (may or may not get used, but very handy to have when putting the pasta together).

Why it works: Broccoli and cauliflower match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Broccoli + cauliflowertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together127 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Broccoli + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,072 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Clove + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together519 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Garlic + rosemarytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,180 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the cauliflower

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (broccoli, onion, clove, garlic, saffron, pepper, rosemary):

Spinachfits better
Kalefits better
Chivefits better
Cauliflowerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against broccoli, onion, clove, garlic, saffron, pepper, rosemary. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pasta	1 cup cooked (140g)	220
Pine	1 oz (28g)	191
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Walnut	1 walnut half (4g)	26
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Rosemary	1 tsp dried (1.2g)	4
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Saffron	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Sicilian Broccoli and Cauliflower Pasta Recipe