Paprika and Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower
When I found out what Vanesther had chosen for this month’s Spice Trail, I was a bit perplexed. How was I going to combine paprika and chocolate? After some head scratching, I resorted to the internet and came up with a recipe for roasted cauliflower with cocoa and smoked paprika over on ChefShop.com. Cornish cauliflowers are in full season right now, so this recipe not only intrigued me but seemed appropriate too. I changed the quantities a little and simplified the method so as not to have so much washing up.
This is how I made:
Paprika and Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower
- Cut a smallish cauliflower into florets and tossed them in a roasting dish with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil.
- Sprinkled a large pinch of Himalayan pink salt over the top with a grinding of black pepper.
- Used a tea strainer to dust 1 level tsp cocoa and 1 heaped tsp of paprika over the top.
- Roasted at 200C for 10 minutes then turned the oven down to 180C whilst giving the florets a good stir.
- Stirred again after 10 minutes then cooked for another 10 minutes, making 30 minutes in total.
Although it looked a little charred, partially owing to the dark colour of the cocoa, the cauliflower was pleasingly nutty. It was just the soft side of crisp with a warming quality from the paprika and the cocoa acting as a flavour enhancer. This is not a combination I would have ever thought of, but it is one I may repeat.
I was thinking about using this dish as my We Should Cocoa entry for this month as it fits the bill of using a new ingredient. I have never combined paprika and chocolate before. However, I have something I think is even more unusual in mind, so I will hang fire.
This recipe was made specifically for The Spice Trail with Vanesther of Bangors & Mash who picked paprika for January.
Although I’ve already entered one recipe to Shop Local this month, I couldn’t resist highlighting our wonderful Cornish cauliflowers, so I am duly sending this off to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary.
After the indulgence of Christmas, Louisa at Eat Your Veg has chosen virtuous recipes for January’s Four Seasons Food challenge. This is a monthly challenge co-hosted by Anneli at Delicieux. This cauliflower dish is not only low in fat and low in carbohydrates, but also contains various health giving antioxidants from the cocoa and paprika. Rapeseed oil is also meant to be a goodie.
Victoria from A Kick at the Pantry Door has opted for tasty and inexpensive for this month’s Feel Good Food. I can attest that this cauliflower dish is both of those things.
One Ingredient this month is unusually not an ingredient, but a theme – Healthy. Hosted this January by Nazima of Franglais Kitchen, the event is co-hosted by Laura of How to Cook Good Food.
As paprika and cocoa are not the most obvious partners to the typical Cornish cauliflower, I am entering this into a new food event – Fabulous Fusion Food with Deena Kakaya.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours and Michele of Utterly Scrummy have come up with a new challenge to get us all to eat Extra Veg. Well, if truth be told, shhhh, we were going to just eat pie for supper until I thought about the cauliflower. So this was our extra portion of veg.
Well, cauliflower florets may not be green, but I did include quite a few of the leaves, so I am cheekily entering it into Lets Cook With Green Vegetables over at Simply Food.
Simple and Season with Ren Behan is back after a bit of a holiday. As one of the first blog events I entered way back when, I am quite attached to it. As cauliflower is very much in season now and this was a very simple dish to make, it fits perfectly.
belleau kitchen
14th January 2014 at 12:04 pmwow… I’ve been seeing a lot of roasted cauliflower recipes recently and I did roast some myself last year and it makes a huge difference to the taste… love your inclusion of cocoa and the paprika, I can imagine they tasted a bit ‘grown up’… ovely stuff!
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 4:48 pmGrown up? Moi? Haha. But you’re right Dom, roasting brings out the nuttiness of the cauliflower I reckon.
Karen S Booth
14th January 2014 at 4:41 pmI am a HUGE lover of cauliflower and this recipe looks great! LOVE the addition of cocoa and paprika and I have bookmarked this for future delectation! Karen
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 4:48 pmYay, thanks Karen 🙂
Dannii@hungryhealthyhappy.com
14th January 2014 at 4:41 pmI love cauliflower and I am always looking for new things to do with it. I usually make garlic and balsamic roasted cauliflower, but chocolate has to make everything better, right? Definitely going to try this.
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 4:50 pmI debated about adding garlic as it’s very rare for me to cook anything savoury without it, but it did taste rather good as it was. Will have to try your version though as that sounds splendid.
Sylvia F.
14th January 2014 at 4:57 pmCocoa on veggies? That must be a wow combo! Would love to try it 🙂
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 5:11 pmI’ve tried quite a few chocolate / veggie combinations now – love experimenting.
Jacqueline Meldrum
14th January 2014 at 5:22 pmYou always think of something new Choclette, you creative girl you! I add cocoa to chilli, but it would never have occurred to me to add it to a dish like this.
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 6:58 pmThanks Jac, I guess it comes with having a one ingredient blog – just have to get creative.
Nayna Kanabar
14th January 2014 at 5:25 pmPaprika and cocoa on cauliflower.I would have to see it to believe.I wonder what it tastes like.
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 6:59 pmYou might just have to try it to find out 😉
Helen @ Fuss Freee Flavours
14th January 2014 at 5:51 pmMany thanks for sending this to Extra Veg. I love the roasted cauliflower steaks, and this recipe reminds me of the baked goyza wrappers I did a few years back with the same flavours.
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 7:00 pmRoasting cauliflower is relatively new for me, but I really like the way it brings out the nutty flavour. Cauliflower steaks sound grand.
Janine
14th January 2014 at 6:06 pmI might just have to try this!
Choclette
14th January 2014 at 7:01 pmYes, it sounds so weird at first glance, trying it is just what I had to do.
Lou, Eat Your Veg
14th January 2014 at 8:01 pmWow, I’d NEVER have thought of combining cauliflower with chocolate, or paprika for that matter. You really are a choccie genius! Well done you. And thanks so much for linking up to this month’s Virtuous Four Seasons Food challenge.
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:23 amThank you Lou – I shall add choccie genius to my CV 😉
The KitchenMaid
14th January 2014 at 8:15 pmGenius! I am struggling with this month’s WSC, so I am in awe of the fact that you have another idea even better than this one!
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:25 amMade and mostly eaten now – it’s a good one 😉
bangermashchat
14th January 2014 at 8:17 pmTruly inspired! I adore cauliflower spiced with paprika but would never have thought of including cocoa too – can’t wait to try it for myself. And thank you so much for developing this dish especially for this month’s Spice Trail. I’m honoured!
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:28 amThanks Vanesther, your Spice Trail challenge is truly inspired and will keep me on my toes as I’m determined to enter where I can.
Baking Addict
14th January 2014 at 9:07 pmThis is definitely a new combination for me! I’ll have to try it myself just so I can taste it as I’m intrigued. I also can’t wait to see your WSC entry.
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:29 amThanks Ros – my WSC thankfully worked and all will soon be revealed 😉
Fiona Maclean
14th January 2014 at 10:34 pmmy goodness, how many challenges for one recipe!!! I like cauli and I like chocolate, but I am really not sure here…
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:31 amSometimes you just have to try – or maybe not! I think this is the most I’ve ever entered for one recipe – expect I could find a few more if I tried 😉
ManjiriK
15th January 2014 at 1:45 pmwhat a unique combination of taste this is ! a must try because I am a fan of cauliflower! I love ur recipe link ups ! have found some interesting new ones!
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:32 amThanks Manjirik, it’s fun to try new ways with cauliflower. Some of these link-ups are new to me too.
Jane Sarchet
15th January 2014 at 6:44 pmI love finding new ways of working with old flavours, great job! I can’t wait to see what dish could be more unusual than this one!
Janie x
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:33 amThanks Jane – you will have to wait and see 😉
Alida
15th January 2014 at 9:56 pmHey this is an interesting one! You are very inventive Choclette and this combination is exotic and just great! 🙂
Choclette
16th January 2014 at 11:34 amThanks Alida, it’s definitely different – nutty with an interesting flavour.
Mel
16th January 2014 at 11:57 pmThis sounds wonderful. And seems like it would go well with a spicy hit like harissa chicken, which is what I’ going to try this out with.
Last year I discovered smoked paprika also goes well with cherries. You’ve given me a cake idea to try out when they’re in season.
Ren Behan
27th January 2014 at 5:14 pmI bet blitzed down this would make a lovely soup, too. Great entry and very unusual – thank you for adding your post to Simple and in Season – so pleased to be back!
Elizabeth
1st February 2014 at 3:01 pmAn interesting combination! I thought I was being adventurous combining mushrooms and cocoa the other day (wholly successful!) but this combo sounds more intriguing! Thank you for sharing with Shop Local 🙂
Deena Kakaya
5th February 2014 at 11:11 pmHow utterly different! I am utterly trying this one and I am sure its going to be wondeful with the contrast in flavours. Thank you for entering this to fabfusionfoods xx
prwilson
1st March 2014 at 12:34 amWhat an interesting idea for cauliflower.