Baked Cauliflower: the appetizing and crunchy recipe accompanied by chickpea hummus

Everybody likes baked cauliflower, even children and skeptics: this is a tasty and colorful recipe, enriched with a golden crust, which is formed after passing the cauliflower in foil corn flour, which makes it truly appetizing and crunchy. In the preparation we have divided the cauliflower into florets, but if you prefer you can also cut it into slices, in order to create cutlets; in any case, the result will be delicious. You can prepare cauliflower in the oven as a side dish: we have combined it with a delicious hummus of chickpeas, which goes perfectly with the delicate taste of cauliflower and which transforms it into a complete dish from a nutritional point of view.

How to make Baked Cauliflower 

Cut the cauliflower by removing core and leaves. Divide the florets into smaller parts, separating the various inflorescences (1).

Boil the cauliflower for 5 minutes in salted boiling water (2). Drain it and let it cool down.

Mix the foil corn flour with paprika and parmesan cheese (3).

Pass the florets in the foil corn flour and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, well separated (4). Sprinkle with a drizzle of oil and bake for 15 minutes at 200° C under the grill: you will have to obtain a well-golden cauliflower and crisp.

Prepare the hummus by placing the chickpeas, tahina, lemon juice, salt, oil and paprika in a bowl. Add 50 ml of water and blend for a long time, until you have a homogeneous cream (5).

Remove the cauliflower from the oven, salt and serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley, over a generous dose of hummus.

Tips

In the preparation we blanched the cauliflower and then we cooked it directly in the oven: do not skip the passage in the pot otherwise it will take too long to soften it in the oven. If you prefer a vegan dish you can replace the parmesan cheese with almond flour.

If you love ethnic flavors, try adding a pinch of curry and turmeric to the breading; if instead you like strong flavors, add also a pinch of cumin.

If you prefer a fresher flavor, you can also combine the baked cauliflower with a yogurt sauce or a tzatziki.

How to store Baked Cauliflower

You can preserve the cauliflower in the oven for 1-2 days tightly closed in an airtight container; but we suggest you to eat it immediately to avoid losing its crunchiness.