Our friend Chef Libby down in Austin has been playing around with cauliflower rice pilaf recipes over the past few weeks, working on something with a bit of Texas flair for some events on her spring calendar coming up.
In Texas, that means of course incorporating pecans instead of the classic pilaf sliced almonds, and to her palate ginger seems to play very well with the butter (or ghee) toasted pecans.
Her team has been using the organic pre-riced cauliflower in 5-cup bags from Costco for some of their experiments in her kitchen, and I’ve sized the following recipe down to fit that or a medium-sized cauliflower head you rice yourself.
Libby notes the fresh ginger really makes this recipe pop, though I made a recipe yesterday with powdered ginger (no fresh ginger in the house!) and it was delicious. You’ll want to try this one; it’s tasty, spot on in terms of macros, and presents very well for impressing the family or guests at the table.
1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and riced, see notes above
5-6 green onions, green and white parts separated
3-4 tbsp butter or ghee
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1-2 tbsp finely chopped ginger (or 1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger)
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Good salt to taste
Optional
Alternative spices: Garlic, cinnamon, your call
3-4 tbsp chopped golden raisins OR
1-2 chopped medjool dates
Rice your cauliflower if using fresh. Prep the green onions: trim and clean, chop the white parts, then thinly slice the green stems on a steep angle and set aside.
Melt 2 tbsp of the butter/ghee over medium heat, and sauté (toast) the pecans until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from the heat, stir in the ginger and red pepper flakes, sprinkle with salt, then scrape into a large bowl.
Into the same skillet goes the remainder of the butter/ghee over medium-high heat, then the white parts of the onions; sauté for several minutes until just beginning to caramelize around the edges. Add the cauliflower, and raisins or dates if using, drop the heat down a notch, and cook for 4-5 minutes (longer if using frozen) until the cauliflower is just beginning to get tender.
Now scrape the cauliflower onion mixture into the bowl with the nuts, stir to mix, and adjust the salt to taste. Top artfully with the sliced onion greens and go to it.
Enjoy.
