Pizzeria Delfina’s spicy cauliflower appetizer is one of my favorite side dishes–the florets are fried until golden and crunchy on the outside and tossed with pepper flakes, garlic, capers, and bread crumbs.
I miss Pizzeria Delfina something fierce. Once upon a time, our carb-addicted family visited the joint once a month, gorging on pizzas and inventive, lusty veggie accompaniments – but it’s been over a year-and-a-half since we last broke bread there. Now that we’re Paleo, I’m not sure if/when we’ll be back.
I found the original recipe online and made this dish tonight with a few tweaks to make it Paleo-friendly. The dish was just how I remembered – toasty, tender, spicy, and piquant.
Time to make Pizzeria Delfina’s Spicy Cauliflower!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 large cauliflower
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes)
Method:
I grabbed a head of cauliflower…
…and trimmed around the core to release the florets.
I heated the coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and when it was shimmering, I dropped in the cauliflower along with a generous sprinkle of salt.
(Make sure the cauliflower isn’t overcrowded – fry in two batches if you must!)
While the cauliflower browned in the skillet, I sliced the garlic, measured the capers…
…and chopped the parsley.
I kept flipping the florets to make sure they were brown all over (8-10 minutes total).
Once the cauliflower was toasty, I tossed the capers, parsley, and garlic in the pan and stir-fried everything until the garlic was browned. As a final step, I threw in the Aleppo pepper and adjusted the seasoning with additional salt.
See? Cauliflower is so damn versatile!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Pizzeria Delfina's Spicy Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or fat of choice
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 cup capers drained
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Trim the cauliflower head. Cut around the core and release the florets.
- Heat the coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Drop the cauliflower in and top with a generous sprinkle of salt. (Make sure the cauliflower isn’t overcrowded – fry in two batches if you must!)
- While the cauliflower is browning, slice the garlic, measure out the capers, and chop the parsley.
- Flip the cauliflower florets to make sure they are browned all over, about 8-10 minutes total.
- Once the cauliflower is toasty, toss the garlic, capers, and parsley in the pan and stir-fry everything until the garlic is browned.
- Sprinkle Aleppo pepper and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
