Spicy Roast Cauliflower with Smoked Paprika
Simple, un-fussy, delicious good food. That's what I like to eat and that of course is what I like to cook.
There is nothing nicer than being able to indulge or even over-indulge in something that you really like, without having to feel self-conscious, guilty or anything but happy and satisfied... and you can do all of that with this simple but so-tasty preparation for cauliflower!
Inexpensive, low in calories and easy to prepare, cauliflower can be so versatile... but sadly, due to it's very mild flavor, many people tend to kill it with loads or cheese or with rich, buttery sauces, rather than to enhance its own great flavor... which can be so easy to do- especially if you roast it!
Basically, the only thing you will need to prepare your cauliflower in this way is some toasted paprika powder, which has a lovely, smokey flavor. I added a little cayenne to mine to make it a little spicier on the outside, which is great, as the inside is so mild a juicy that the combination is really terrific.
Of course, regular paprika is fine too- the main thing is having a lovely roasted flavor... so get that oven turned on nice and hot before we begin!
Now, does that look good, or does that look good? And why would you want to fuss any more over preparing something good than you need to, anyway? Want to know how to make it? Ok- well get some water boiling in a saucepan as well as getting the oven hot and I will tell you how...
As soon as the water is boiling, snap the cauliflower up into separate rosettes, cut the larger ones in half, pop them into a steamer and let them cook for 10 minutes. If you don't have a steamer or steam tray, boil them for 6-7 minutes, pour off the water, pop the lid back on and let them sit and finish steaming for 3-4 minutes more... and in the meantime, you can quickly prepare your seasoning!
Mix together 1 cup of water with 1/3 cup of olive oil, add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika powder, a little cayenne if you like it spicier, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Give them a good whisk together, take your cauliflower off the heat- and get ready to get busy!
Put the still steaming cauliflower into a large bowl, pour the dressing over the top and stir it through gently until the cauliflower is coated from all sides. As it is still really hot and steaming, the cauliflower will soak-in all of that good flavor!
Usually I would roast my cauliflower from raw and season with only salt and pepper- but I wanted to get it really full of flavor this evening and this was a great way to do it!
Once it has been well coated, the cauliflower becomes a lovely golden color... but wait till it's roasted- haha! Give it 10-15 minutes from each side, flipping it over halfway, until it is golden red/brown and delicious... and give it plenty of heat! 180°C of convection heat is what I used and it worked wonderfully! But... you know your own ovens best- so keep it hot and stay close-by!
And when it looks as lovely as this- get ready to enjoy! It's as simple as that!
Healthy, colorful, super-aromatic, full of flavor and just great fun! Do you need any more reasons to try this out than those? Nope- I didn't think so!
Simply enjoy!
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