Kelly Rossiter
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This vegetable is such an enigma that it is called a romanesco cauliflower in the US and Canada, a romanesco broccoli and a romanesco cabbage in Germany. It is the most amazing chartreuse color and unlike hybrids like broccoflower and orange and purple cauliflower, it is a species unto itself. It demands photographing as much as cooking, and I can pretty much guarantee that it is the only vegetable you'll ever eat that is a fractal.
It's been cultivated in Italy since the 16th century, so I'm not quite sure why I haven't eaten it before. I've seen it in my organic grocery a few times, but I didn't know what to make of it. Then I decided that I just had to have it, to the skepticism of my family. The individual sections look very much like cauliflower, with the same texture, but once cooked and eaten, it is unmistakably akin to broccoli. My daughter, who loves cauliflower but not broccoli was interested in tasting it, but silently picked it all out of the pasta dish I made. My husband, who loves broccoli, but not cauliflower, was pleasantly surprised. I love both vegetables, so it didn't matter a whit to me which one it favored.
We had it on the last weekend at our cottage for the year, when we traditionally have bacon to make us all feel better about leaving. I cooked the bacon and set it aside, poured off most of the fat and then stir fried the romanesco. I added a little stock, then covered the pan and cooked it for another five minutes or so until it was tender, then added the cooked bacon and put it over top of cooked pasta. With a little Parmesan cheese grated over top and some freshly ground pepper, it was a simple, delicious dinner.
Difficulty Level: Easy
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