A tex-mex aperitif with nachos and spicy morsels. All based on cauliflower!
If you have already tried cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza, you cannot miss these two original recipes, tasty, fun and very simple to prepare: cauliflower nachos and bites, that is, cauliflower morsels.
With a single cauliflower we will prepare two finger food different from the usual and tex-mex taste.
Cauliflower nachos
You got it right: you can reproduce the classic Mexican chips with cauliflower in the dough.
How you do it? First, wash a cauliflower very well and divide it into florets.
Then divide them into two parts. One part will be used for nachos and one for bites.
Finely chop the tops with a blender or a chopper and then quickly pass them in a pan without adding oil, just to dry them.
Mix them once cold with 20 g of 00 flour, 1 teaspoon of paprika, one of cumin, one of coriander, one of powdered garlic, a generous teaspoon of parmesan or grated cheddar cheese, 1 egg and a pinch of salt and pepper.
You can actually play with the spices and add them a little as you like.
Once this mixture is ready, spread it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It must be quite thin so take a large pan.
Brush the surface with a little oil and bake in a static oven at 150 ° for about 40 minutes or at 200 ° for 20 minutes.
When the mixture has become golden, let it cool thoroughly in the turned off oven.
Then cut the nachos into lozenges or triangles quite large, place them in a pan, even slightly overlapping, garnish them with plenty of grated cheese like fontina or cheddar and cook them in the oven until the cheese is melted and stringy.
Cauliflower bites
These tidbits can be prepared in many ways and also in this case you can use the spices and herbs you prefer.
You can use the mixture from the nachos recipe by adding more flour to obtain meatballs to fry, or you can fry the cauliflower tops directly after having breaded them.
Prepare a mix of breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and parmesan and add paprika or curry to taste.
Instead of breadcrumbs you can put the panko which is a very light breadcrumbs that tends to swell when cooked.
Pass the cauliflower tops in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs and fry them in hot oil.
For a lighter result try baking in the oven.
Accompanying sauces
Two recipes like these, spicy and appetizing, require an ad hoc combination.
The sauce guacamole it is perfect, especially for nachos and preparing it is very simple.
Just mash the pulp of a fairly soft avocado with a fork and then add the juice of half a lime, 4-5 chopped cherry tomatoes, half a chopped onion, a few drops of Tabasco and a pinch of salt. Remember to always leave the avocado core in the center of the sauce which will not oxidize in this way.
Another interesting sauce is the one based on Greek yogurt, very fresh and light. To prepare it, mix the yogurt with a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little lemon juice.
You can then add a spoonful of mustard, or chives, or even chopped mixed herbs, such as mint and basil.
And to drink?
For your tex-mex aperitif we suggest you to serve a cold light beer with lemon wedges, or tequila-based cocktails like Margarita and Long Island or rums like mojito.
And then go ahead with drinks based on fresh fruit and spices such as mango, passion fruit, ginger, lime and mint.
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