A quick flavour win for your cauliflower with this unusual but delicious paprika and cocoa combination. Roasted cauliflower makes an excellent side dish, but this version is also good served on its own with some spicy tomato sauce or yoghurt.
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 the unusual combination of paprika and cocoa. This I had to try. Cornish cauliflowers are in full season right now, so almost inevitably I turned to this much underrated but versatile vegetable.
Roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika & Cocoa
As cauliflower is very much in season now and this was a very simple dish to make, it fits perfectly.
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. In fact, CT, who wasn’t in the know, thought I’d added miso. I’ve always known that chocolate works well in savoury food. But now, I’ve found it pairs well with cauliflower too. This is not a combination I’ve ever thought of, but it’s one I will repeat.
Roasted cauliflower florets make an excellent side dish, but try them with homemade tomato sauce, they’re delicious. They’re even really good on their own or serve with some yoghurt.
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.
Other Savoury Chocolate Recipes You Might Like
- Chocolate bean burgers
- Mushroom & chocolate risotto
- Chocolate & chilli lime bread
- Chocolate refried beans
- Vegetarian chocolate shepherd’s pie
- Welsh pancakes with leek & mushroom chocolate sauce
I’ve even made a six course chocolate themed dinner which was even better than it sounds. And for even more savoury chocolate inspiration, take a look at the savoury chocolate category on Tin and Thyme.
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Paprika & Cocoa Roasted Cauliflower – The Recipe
Roasted Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika & Cocoa
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic salt (or ¼ tsp sea salt + ¼ tsp garlic granules)
- good grinding of black pepper
Instructions
- Set the oven to 200℃ (400℉, Gas 6).
- Cut a the cauliflower into small florets and toss them in a roasting dish with the oil oil.
- Sprinkle the garlic salt, cocoa and paprika over the top then add the black pepper. You may find it easier to use a tea strainer to dust the cocoa and paprika over the cauliflower.
- Give everything a good mix, then pop the tray into the oven.
- Roast for 10 minutes then give the florets a good stir. Stir again after another 10 minutes then cook for a further 10 minutes, making 30 minutes in total.
- The florets should be cooked and golden with some charring around the edges.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
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’m duly sending these roasted cauliflower florets 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 it also contains various health giving antioxidants from the cocoa and paprika. Rapeseed oil also has benefits.
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. Nazima of Franglais Kitchen is hosting.
Paprika and cocoa are not the most obvious partners to the typical Cornish cauliflower. So I’m entering this recipe 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 roasted cauliflower that is. 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. This linkie is a particularly good one. It was one of the first blog events I ever entered so I’m quite attached to it. Cauliflower is very much in season now and this was a very simple dish to make, so it fits perfectly.
What an interesting idea for cauliflower.
How 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
An 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 🙂
I 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!
This 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.
Hey this is an interesting one! You are very inventive Choclette and this combination is exotic and just great! 🙂
Thanks Alida, it’s definitely different – nutty with an interesting flavour.
I 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
Thanks Jane – you will have to wait and see 😉
what 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!
Thanks Manjirik, it’s fun to try new ways with cauliflower. Some of these link-ups are new to me too.
my goodness, how many challenges for one recipe!!! I like cauli and I like chocolate, but I am really not sure here…
Sometimes 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 😉
This 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.
Thanks Ros – my WSC thankfully worked and all will soon be revealed 😉
Truly 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!
Thanks Vanesther, your Spice Trail challenge is truly inspired and will keep me on my toes as I’m determined to enter where I can.
Genius! 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!
Made and mostly eaten now – it’s a good one 😉
Wow, 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.
Thank you Lou – I shall add choccie genius to my CV 😉
I might just have to try this!
Yes, it sounds so weird at first glance, trying it is just what I had to do.
Many 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.
Roasting cauliflower is relatively new for me, but I really like the way it brings out the nutty flavour. Cauliflower steaks sound grand.
Paprika and cocoa on cauliflower.I would have to see it to believe.I wonder what it tastes like.
You might just have to try it to find out 😉
You 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.
Thanks Jac, I guess it comes with having a one ingredient blog – just have to get creative.
Cocoa on veggies? That must be a wow combo! Would love to try it 🙂
I’ve tried quite a few chocolate / veggie combinations now – love experimenting.
I 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.
I 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.
I 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
Yay, thanks Karen 🙂
wow… 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!
Grown up? Moi? Haha. But you’re right Dom, roasting brings out the nuttiness of the cauliflower I reckon.