Romanesco (also known as romanesco broccoli, fractal broccoli, romanesque cauliflower, or broccoflower) is the whimsical star of the produce section, an edible flower bud with mesmerizingly beautiful-looking patterns. Romanesco’s bright lime-green color and gloriously textured florets are a sight to behold. Somewhat resembling a mix between broccoli and cauliflower, it is their cousin and belongs to the brassica family, just like bok choy, cabbage, kale, and brussels sprouts.
When eating romanesco, you’re consuming a flower bud, as it is harvested before the head blooms. Romanesco’s tightly packed florets are clustered in pointed spiral shapes and are repeating; each floret is composed of a series of smaller florets that all look the same, arranged in a logarithmic spiral. The pattern is an approximate fractal since the pattern eventually terminates, as the shape gets smaller in scale, creating a mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic design. Each part of the floret has the same form as the whole and the number of spirals on one head of romanesco is a Fibonacci number. Did this spark some wonder and interest in this unique-looking vegetable?
Like other members of the brassica family, romanesco is high in vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, carotenoids, lutein, iron, zinc, folate, and cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber. Romanesco is also rich in sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds, which are precursors to glucosinolates and thiocyanates. Glucosinolates form a variety of compounds that act as antioxidants, naturally cleansing kidneys, and supporting liver health and detoxification. Research has found that these molecules reduce inflammation, clear free radicals, boost the immune system, promote healthy skin, have antifungal and antibacterial properties, and help slow tumor growth and fight off cancer.
Romanesco is a winter vegetable and is as easy to grow as normal broccoli or cauliflower. It has a sweet, mild, and nutty flavor, and is perfectly roasted, steamed, sauteed, in a stir-fry, in soups, curries, in a quiche, or simply eaten raw. Make sure to not overcook it, as it will lose a lot of its flavor and get an unpleasant mushy texture.
Ingredients:
1 head of romanesco, broken into large bite-size pieces
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1 small serrano chili
1 lemongrass
1 cm fresh ginger root (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon turmeric (fresh and chopped or powdered)
1 tablespoon fresh galangal root (finely chopped)
3-4 lime leaves (fresh or frozen)
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
1 cup roasted cashews
1 lime
1 cup of fresh coriander leaves
1 cup of fresh pineapple (cut into bite-size pieces)
salt and pepper
cooked rice or other grain of your choice
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 F). Peel the leaves off the bottom of the romanesco, rinse it, and cut up the florets into bite-sized pieces. Dry the florets with a kitchen towel and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss with chopped garlic, olive, oil salt, and pepper and mix well. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and still crunchy.
In the meanwhile prepare the curry. In a medium saucepan over medium heat add coconut oil, then add sliced onion and cook until caramelized (for about 10 minutes), add garlic and saute for a few more minutes until it becomes fragrant. Add de-seeded serrano chili (depending on how hot you like your curry, add to your liking or omit completely), ginger, turmeric, and galangal. Crush lemongrass and lime leaves in a mortar (or cut finely) and add to the pot. Pour in the full-fat coconut milk and cook for a few minutes (do not boil). Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasonings. Strain the mixture over a mesh sieve and discard the solids.
In a separate pan roast the cashews until brown and crunchy. Cut the fresh pineapple into bite-size pieces.
Transfer baked romanesco to plates or bowls, pour over some curry sauce, add cashews, and pineapple on top, and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Add some freshly squeezed lime juice or add a wedge of lime on the side of the dish. Serve with freshly cooked basmati rice or other grains of your choice.