“What is this mystery vegetable they are serving with the beets at Tavolata. Light green, spiky, tastes like cauliflower. Not broccoflower.”
The text message popped up on my phone, from our son Nicholas who was dining at one of his (and my) favorite Seattle bistros, Tavolata.
Moms (or at least this mom) hate to say “I dunno,” so I hazarded a guess.
“Oops just got this at noisy cocktail party i think it might be Romanesco cauliflower xo xo xo,”
“Yeah, that’s definitely what it is,” he texted back, apparently after asking a cook or server.
A few minutes later, another text.
“Impressive.”
He says he was referring to my ability to make the “diagnosis,” not the flavor of the vegetable (which he did love).
Made my day.
So…..a little more about this Mont St. Michel of spiraling, lime-green cauliflowery castles.
Romanesco cauliflower, also known in other countries as coral broccoli, Romanesco broccoli and Romanesco cabbage, is an edible flower that was popular in Italy as far back as the 16th century. Somewhere between then and now it fell out of favor. But lately it’s been gaining rapidly in popularity in the U.S., particularly in organic markets. The striking chartreuse globe is part of the “forgotten vegetables” trend that I wrote about during my recent bike trip through France. (Young chef Laurent Wellecam at Hotel Crillon-Le-Brave champions the “legumes oublies” that our great-grandparents used to cook, things like wild nettle, potimarron squash, and romanesco cauliflower).
Romanesco has a lot going for it. Its taste is milder and somewhat sweeter than that of white cauliflower. Its color doesn’t fade during cooking. It’s a showstopper on a crudité platter. And it’s rich in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids. It’s also easy to prepare, simply break aparts into florettes and steam. Or roast in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt; hen it’s tender, remove pan from oven and immediately throw a tablespoon of minced garlic and a tablespoon of drained capers into the pan. The heat will cook the garlic and warm the capers.
For Thanksgiving, I’m going to prepare it like my mother-in-law used to prepare a whole head of cauliflower. Remove the outer leaves, leaving the head of rosettes intact. Boil or steam the head in a large pan of salted water. Remove to a serving platter, drizzle generously with melted butter, sprinkle with minced chives, and shower with crunchy homemade bread crumbs that have been sauteed with butter.
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