Tuesday 13 March 2012

Super healthy Romanesco salad recipe


A few days ago, I was lucky enough to come across a lovely head of Romanensco at a local market. An Italian vegetable by origin, it seems someone has an eye for its sculptural and slightly futuristic beauty, or perhaps it’s subtly nutty flavour, here in France.

Apparently Romanesco, a member of the Brassica family of vegetables, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, was developed through selective cultivation in 16th century Italy. Appearance wise, it may well be the most stunning vegetable you ever meet. Its strong geometric form and lime-green colouring must have appeared as otherworldly 500 years ago, as it does today.    

The Romanesco is made up of intricate, repetitive swirls. Each floret is comprised of countless smaller conical florets. The incredibly symmetrical fractal pattern, is described by mathematicians as logarithmic, by Creationists as evidence of “God’s great work” despite it being recorded historically as a cultivated variety, and by gardeners and chefs alike quite simply, as beautiful.      

As well as being gorgeous to look at Romanesco is packed with nutrients, and easy to prepare. You can eat it raw, with hummus, or steam it for a few minutes as I did. It’s got a sweet creamy and slightly flavour. This recipe with a simple dressing, fresh goats cheese and sundried tomatoes, is simple, and allows the full taste of the Romanesco to shine through. I hope you like it!

Recipe
(serves two as a main dish)
One head of Romanesco
10 chopped sundried tomatoes (chopped)
 2 tablespoons chopped/crumbled Fromage Frais (or soft goats cheese)
Three table spoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Two tea spoons wholegrain mustard
Ground black pepper





Step One: Chop the Romanesco into florets and steam until al dente.


Step Two: Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and some ground black pepper in a jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake.

Step 3: In a large bowl mix the Romanesco, sundried tomatoes, fromage frais and dressing. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 




10 comments:

Patricia (La Chatte Gitane) said...

They really are beautiful, aren't they ?
I might just make your recipe tonight, but with brocolli and cauliflower as that's what I still have in my fridge. :)

Alice said...

So easy and so delicious...

Matthaeus said...

I couldn't find Romanesco today, so used broccoli and cauliflower. DELICIOUS!

Melanie said...

Yay! So glad you liked it. Romanesco is not too common, but you can't miss it when it is around. Hope all is well! x

Georgie said...

Super cute blog. Love the healthy recipes. Not sure where to find Romanesco but I'm sure it will show up in the markets soon, right after I try this recipe.

cody said...

Gorgeous! So gorgeous that I'm afraid to eat it but then I'd get over it. thanks for sharing! recette omelette aux truffes

Unknown said...

I'm so glad that this gourmet food recipes that I'm looking for a month a ago is here.. but my problem is Romanesco.. where could I find this?

Gourmandia Recipes said...

Beautiful and cute brocolli with cauliflower recipes.. this is a great healthy recipes article

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