Sicilian shrimp pappardelle with olives and orange

Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil for the pappardelle. Separate the pappardelle so the noodles don’t clump together during cooking.

To the pot of boiling water, stir in the pappardelle and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the pappardelle, reserving ½ cup [1 cup] pasta cooking water. Return the pappardelle to the pot; drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons oil and toss to keep the noodles from sticking.

While the water heats and the pappardelle cooks, prepare the vegetables.

• Cut the cauliflower into 1-inch florets, discarding any leaves or thick stalks. 
• Peel and thinly slice enough onion to measure ½ cup [1 cup]. Save the remaining onion for another use.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon [2 TBL] oil until hot but not smoking. Add the cauliflower and thinly sliced onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and starting to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Do not clean the pan.

While the vegetables cook, prepare the shrimp.

• Rinse the shrimp, then drain on a paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

In the same pan used for the vegetables, warm 1 tablespoon [2 TBL] oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches if needed, add the shrimp and cook, turning once, until firm and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side for regular shrimp, 2 to 3 minutes per side for jumbo shrimp. Transfer to a plate. Add more oil between batches if needed. Return all the shrimp to the pan, add the cauliflower and onion, and stir to combine.
While the shrimp cook, prepare the remaining ingredients.

• Cut the olives in half, checking for any pits.
• Using your hands or a sharp knife, peel the orange; cut the orange in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. Discard any seeds.
• Strip the parsley leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves for garnish.

To the pan with the vegetables and shrimp, add the pappardelle, reserved pasta cooking water, and 2 tablespoons [¼ cup] oil or butter (from your pantry) and toss to combine. Stir in the olives, orange slices, and as many Marash chile flakes as you like. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Transfer the pappardelle, vegetables, and shrimp to individual bowls. Garnish with the parsley and serve.