Category: Romanesco

Often my dinner-cooking plans take a detour because I run out of time. I imagine I'm going to develop something new and creative. . . and sometimes those running-out-of-time meals are the best. This one was enjoyed by all and is definitely a winning template. Use whatever vegetables you have and cut them small or grate them for quicker cooking time. Serve with cheesy toast or any good bread, toasted if a little stale.   Variations You can use vegetables like carrots, zucchini, winter squash, turnips, potatoes, etc. Change or omit the spices, use sausages instead of eggs, or add a couple of cups of beans. ... Read more »

This is an inauthentic rip off of a Sicilian dish Jim Dixon of Real Good Food wrote about. It's hearty and satisfying and bright and shows off romanesco's flavor and texture so well. ... Read more »

This is a classic Roman dish, often consumed on Fridays but don't be bound by that stricture as it's suited to any day of the week! Rachel of RachelEats.com come wrote a lovely post about the Roman (and generally Italian) tradition of certain dishes on certain days of the week. I enjoyed this dish in Rome and surroundings when I lived in Italy in the mid-1990s and it's another example of Italian's skill with vegetables and often cooking them thoroughly to their full sweetness, not leaving them al dente. Serves 4-5... Read more »

  Much like cauliflower, romanesco takes very well to roasting in a hot oven until slightly caramelized and tender.   Break one head of romanesco into florets and chop the stems and core in similar sized chunks. Toss everything with some olive oil and salt and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Roast in a hot oven (I do 425), tossing once or twice, until browning around the edges and tender. Toss with some chopped parsley and a bit of grated parmesan to fancy it up. Perfect as is though too.   For a nice and typically Roman twist, you could also make a dressing with some mashed anchovies, mashed garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and olive oil and toss roasted or steamed romanesco with that. Delish!... Read more »

This, most beautiful of the brassicas, is sometimes also called broccoli romanesco. It's the MC Escher-esque pale green cauliflower like vegetable. It is sweet and nutty in flavor and milder than cauliflower or broccoli though certainly similar. It keeps its shape well and holds up to boiling, steaming, roasting and grilling.   Romanesco keeps quite well in the refrigerator in plastic. The leaves are good to eat as well and can be chopped up and added to most anything you make with it. It is wonderful simply roasted with olive oil and salt until tender and starting to brown. It is excellent with fish in a sauce with tomato and hot peppers. Like cauliflower it's good dressed with a sauce of anchovies, garlic, capers and olive oil.... Read more »