Crunchy, Spicy Greek-style Buffalo Cauliflower
FUN FACT: Buffalo Cauliflower is the plant-lover’s answer to Buffalo wings, that greasy snack that’s classic on Super Bowl Sunday! While I haven’t been able to find the story of when and how cauliflower became a stand-in for actual chicken wings, I did unearth the story of the wings themselves. The Buffalo wing was invented in 1964, in Buffalo, N.Y., at a family-owned establishment called the Anchor Bar. The wings were the brainchild of Teressa Bellissimo, who created them as a spur-of-the-moment recipe after a shipment of chicken went awry–wings and not the birds themselves arrived at the restaurant. She covered them in her own special sauce and served them with a side of blue cheese and celery because that’s what she had available. The rest is history!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 4 Tbsp almond flour
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste preferably Santorini
- 2 tsps Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp petimezi grape molasses or maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small red onion minced
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp smoked sea salt
- 1 tsp dried Greek mint
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
- 1 head cauliflower cut into 2-inch florets
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Combine the rice flour, almond flour, tomato paste, mustard, petimezi or maple syrup, garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, smoked sea salt and dried herbs in the bowl of a food processor. parsley, and ⅔ cup of water in a blender. Puree until the batter is smooth and thick. Transfer to a bowl and add the cauliflower florets; toss until the florets are well coated with the batter.
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Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, making sure that the florets do not touch one another. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the heat and let stand for 3 minutes.
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Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately.
