Cauliflower with Pistachio Pesto
Another of my favorite menu offerings at the J&G Grill was the cauliflower that we ordered for one of our starters. My publishing partners and I all love cauliflower and voted this the most incredible of the veggies we tasted.
Caramelized Cauliflower and Pistachio Pesto
I actually came back from Utah and immediately prepared this for Gary. In the process, I converted the measures from grams and simplified this a bit, but it was still delicious.
For the Pesto (as I modified it)
5 oz. toasted pistachios
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
1/2 finely chopped Jalapeño (couldn’t find Green Thai chili)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 oz. micro-planed Parmesan
Blanch and shock basil, squeeze out all excess water in clean kitchen towel. In the food processor combine basil, olive oil, and salt and puree until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree until coarse.
To Serve:
1/2 cauliflower cut into 1-2″ nuggets
salt/black pepper as desired
2 ounces toasted pistachios
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Chopped basil or micro basil
Heat pan with olive oil and sauté cauliflower until very well caramelized and tender. add pistachios and cook until toasty, then season with salt and pepper (they also called for marjoram leaves, which I omitted). Smooth some pesto into the bottom of a hot side bowl. Fill with caramelized cauliflower and finish with the micro basil.