When I find myself in a dreaded creative rut with cooking, my favorite antidote is a trip to the farmer’s market. There’s nothing like a vegetable I haven’t handled before, or a chat with a passionate farmer to reignite my curiosity. A few weeks ago I encountered this remarkable romanesco, cousin to broccoli and cauliflower (of the brassica family). It’s almost psychedelic with a uniquely chartreuse color and repeating fractal patterns. And if that’s too much food nerdage for you, not to worry, the taste is the best part of all. It’s slightly nuttier and more vibrant than cauliflower and not at all as sulfury as broccoli. Charring this vegetable and drizzling a creamy yogurt sauce over the top is my favorite way to enjoy it.
Buen provecho!
Amanda
- 2 heads romanesco, cut into florets/smaller segments
- 2 Tablespoons oil (olive, sunflower, safflower)
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon good balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce/sambal oeleck
- juice and zest of ½ lemon
- ½ cup golden raisins
- Put a large skillet over medium/high heat. Drizzle in oil and toss the romanesco florets into the skillet. Saute until florets are as crispy and charred as you like, about 10 minutes total for a medium char (as pictured). To get a heavier crisp, allow the florets to rest a couple of minutes on each "side."
- Season with salt and pepper. In the meantime, make the chili yogurt by whisking together yogurt, honey, mustard, vinegar, chili garlic sauce/sambal oeleck, and ½ lemon. Drizzle over the top of the roasted florets, sprinkle in raisins and serve hot!