Cauliflower with pears, pistachios and eggs

Cauliflower is sautéed with pistachios, ham, sage, and pears, then topped with a fried egg for dinner. Add or subtract various ingredients and you’ve got a side, a vegan meal, or a pasta dish.

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Blue Kitchen
It may sound like a strange combination, but cauliflower, pears, pistachios, and eggs makes a fast, terrific weeknight dinner.

This makes a fast, terrific weeknight dinner. Omit the egg and it would be great as part of a festive meal, alongside a roasted bird or a grilled chop. You can also make it vegan by using all olive oil and skipping the egg and ham. For that matter, you could toss it with some whole grain ziti for a more hearty dinner.

Twenty minutes later, when we were eating this, my daughter pronounced it “confusing, but delicious.”

Cauliflower with pears, pistachios and eggs
Serves 3 to 4

1 medium cauliflower, cut into small bits
2/3 cup pistachios
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely minced
1/4 cup minced ham
3 ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt, pepper
1 egg per person, to fry

1. In a big heavy bottomed skillet, melt the butter and let it brown lightly. Add the olive oil. Then add the cauliflower to the pan. Let it sit and start to brown for three minutes or so. Add the pistachios, the sage and the ham. Stir together and continue sautéing the cauliflower. You want it to be just tender and nicely browned.

2. When the cauliflower is fork tender, turn down the heat under the pan. Set out the plates (we used soup plates) and then fry the eggs.

3. When you flip the eggs, turn back to the cauliflower pan. Carefully add the pear slices and gently stir them in. You want them to just warm through, not to start cooking.

4. Divide the cauliflower-pear mix among the serving plates. Top each with an egg  and serve.

Related post on Blue Kitchen: A quick, easy* spring lunch: Roasted Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Lardons

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