Seared Cauliflower and Olives - Erin

This is my favorite easy way to do cauliflower, something about the combination of the olives and cauliflower, and then with the crunch of the bread crumbs it's just delicious!  I got the idea from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express book (here), but my love for olives goes far beyond "a handful" so I had to write my own version up.  You could easily go with a fancier olive if you wanted to, and I'm sure it would be amazing too.  I usually end up cutting the recipe in half because I love olives too much, and end up eating half the can while I'm chopping them up.  Oops.

what you will need:

1 head cauliflower, core removed and chopped roughly

1 can large black pitted olives, drained and chopped roughly

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup panko or other breadcrumbs

freshly chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Heat up a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.  I use a 12" pan for the half-recipe, but if you're doing the full recipe you'll want to use a bigger pan to avoid overcrowding.

Add the cauliflower and give it a quick stir to coat it in the oil.  Leave it to cook, undisturbed, until it starts to brown.  I'm a little impatient with this part, but really, leave it!  Then add the garlic and olives, give it a stir, and let it cook for another few minutes until it's seared to your liking.  

Once you're happy with the level of sear squeeze half a lemon over the cauliflower mix and add your breadcrumbs.  Stir and cook the mix until the breadcrumbs are toasted.  Taste to see if you want to add salt (not much since you've got so many olives, but I usually add some) and add lots of freshly ground pepper and your chopped parsley, and you're good to go!  Yummmmm I love it!