The Wedding Bouquet Vegetable Platter or Romanesco Romano!

"Thanks to Chef #37636 and Chef #47892 for giving me the zany recipe title ideas! Yes, this beautiful vegetable does indeed look like a wedding bouquet, or maybe even a collection of small Christmas trees.........it is the most beautiful looking vegetable in the world, in my humble opinion! However, never mind its looks - it tastes wonderful, having a nutty and buttery taste and holds its shape better than cauliflower or broccoli when cooked. A little more information on this gorgeous vegetable: Romanesco is an unusual crop. Not quite a calabrese and not quite a cauliflower but with aspects of both. It has a taste and texture exceeding the finest broccoli and is a member of the Brassica family. Romanesco broccoli was first documented in Italy (as broccolo romanesco) in the sixteenth century. It is sometimes called broccoflower, but that name is also applied to green-curded cauliflower cultivars. Romanesco is best steamed rather than boiled as it will retain its flavour and texture better. Small spears can also be stir-fried or even eaten raw in salads or with a dip as crudities. This recipe is simple and keeps the full flavour of the romanseco; use any Italian cheese you have to hand - I used Parmesan cheese in the photos I posted, a few toasted hazelnuts may also be a fine finishing touch. One more piece of useless information (!!), the fractal spiral of this vegetable is an example of the golden ratio, which is linked mathematically to all kinds of interesting things, such as the proportions of human faces - I told you it was an amazing vegetable!"
 
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photo by COOKGIRl photo by COOKGIRl
photo by COOKGIRl
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
photo by French Tart photo by French Tart
Ready In:
20mins
Ingredients:
6
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cut off the main stalk and trim the base of any excess leaves, Divide the romanesco into florets, trying to maintain good-sized pieces - about the size of an egg.
  • Steam or boil the romanesco gently for about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the size and weight; check after 8 minutes - the vegetable stalk should be soft enough to pierce a skewer in to it - but the pretty heads should still be whole and firm, as well as retaining their beautiful pale green colour. If the romanesco is still too hard, continue to boil or steam, checking it every 2 minutes or so.
  • Add the butter and the oil top the pan and very gently toss the vegetable florets so they are all coated in the butter and oil. (If using a steamer, put the florets into a pan to do this.).
  • Arrange the florets in an attractive serving bowl or platter - sprinkle over the grated cheese and top with toasted hazelnuts if you decide to use them.
  • Serve with crusty bread for a light and elegant luncheon dish. Alternatively, serve as the main vegetable accompaniment to most main course meals.
  • Serves 4 as a light lunch with bread, and 6 as a vegetable accompaniment.

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Reviews

  1. I share French Tart's love, admiration and fawning overtures to Romanesco. It is the most beautiful vegetable in the world by far! There is an invisible force that stops me from chopping the head up into florets. I steam the romanesco whole for about 10 minutes because the head was small. In a small saucepan olive oil and butter were heated up just enough to warm the oil and melt the butter. Scattered the vegetable with toasted organically grown Oregon-grown hazelnuts, light grating of asiago, sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper. When you are this beautiful au naturel or the very most a light dusting of a powder puff is best. Amazing! Takes my breath away!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p><strong><span>The sunflowers in the field behind my house in SW France:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Sunflowers src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/DSCN8221.jpg alt=Sunflowers width=640 height=480 /><br /><strong><span><br /><br />I am British (English-Scottish), but I was born in South Africa and have lived all over the world, including Hong Kong, Germany, Cyprus, USA &amp; Singapore. I have also been very fortunate to have travelled extensively over the years.........I still have wanderlust! <br /><br />I used to be an English Literature &amp; Art History teacher &amp; lecturer; before that, I trained and worked as a Graphic Designer for many years. I now live in France with my husband &amp; my daughter who has just started university in September 2006. We also have one very chatty Burmese cat Willow, who allows us to live with her here! (I used to have three cats, I recently lost Monty, a beautiful seal point Siamese and before that, Rama, who was a debonair blue point Siamese cat - I would love to have another Siamese cat or cats in the future!)</span></strong></p> <p><em><strong><span>This is my Burmese Cat, Willow, sunning herself on the log pile in the kitchen garden:</span></strong></em></p> <p><strong><img title=My src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/ABaconButtyandSundryFoodPhotos34.jpg alt=My width=640 height=480 /></strong></p> <p><strong><span>Here is my lovely Monty, a seal point Siamese, and Willow, sitting&nbsp;in the kitchen garden last year, and a few months before Monty died; he was 18yrs old:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Monty src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/AbsolutelySinfulStickyToffeePudding.jpg alt=Monty width=640 height=480 />My</p> <p><strong><span>This is my wonderful old boy, Rama, a blue-point Siamese, who died when he was 20yrs old - excuse the old and much sellotaped photo:</span></strong></p> <p><img title=Rama src=http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r271/copperhorse58/Rama1stOctober2004164.jpg alt=Rama width=517 height=639 /></p> <p><strong><span>My favourite pastimes are: reading, writing, painting &amp; drawing, photography, gardening, anything creative, walking, travelling, dining out and of course COOKING! I love all types of cuisine, but especially Traditional British - and NO it is NOT all bad!! I particularly love food associated with the changing seasons plus traditional feasts &amp; festivals, as well as Slow Cooking. I also enjoy French &amp; North African cuisine, come to think of it, there isn't much I don't like! <br /><br />My husband &amp; I run a Chambres D'Hotes, (Bed and Breakfast) called Auberge de la Fontaine here in beautiful South West France; we specialise in Gourmet Food &amp; Wine Breaks, French Antiques &amp; Restoration courses, French Language courses and French Cookery classes. Our home is completely furnished with Antique French furniture that we have rescued &amp; restored ourselves. Our charming village has one of the oldest Churches in the region &amp; it is famous for its connection with the St.Jacques de Compostella Pilgrimage route, as well as being within the Cognac &amp; Bordeaux wine growing area. <br /><br />We have a wonderful garden where we grow ALL of our own herbs and most of our fruit and vegetables. I specialise in rare, unusual and old-fashioned herbs, which I grow in our walled garden. As well as growing herbs, I also grow many different varieties of lavender, old-fashioned shrub roses and heirloom fruit and vegetables. <br /><br />We have lived overseas for many, many years now - but we both still love going home to Northern England, near Scarborough &amp; York, to visit our family &amp; friends. We also love indulging in dining out when we are there, in a wide variety of EXCELLENT Gastro-Pubs that we have in North Yorkshire; and popping in to have a Pint of REAL ENGLISH ALE in our local pub is a always a must!! <br /></span></strong></p> <p><br /><a href=http://photobucket.com/images/merci%20beaucoup target=_blank><img src=http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp287/vi-vie15/Merci/hb09izl7.gif border=0 alt=merci /></a> <br /><br /><strong><span>A Message to all who make and review my recipes! I try very hard to reply to EACH and EVERYONE of you who kindly makes, reviews and photographs my recipes! However, sometimes I am so busy in the B and B, and with other things, that I may be late in sending a personal thank you message, and sometimes I forget completely! I would just like to thank you ALL in advance, and just in case I am late or forgetful in sending a personal thanks. I am always very humbled by anyone who chooses to make one of my recipes, and I love reading the reviews and seeing the beautiful photos that are posted. Merci beaucoup encore! <br /><br />A note about my recipes. All of my posted recipes, whether they be my own concoctions or adaptations from a book or a famous chef, have been tried and tested at least once, by ME! I try to make sure that I am the guinea pig and not you! However, if there is anything you would like ask me about one of my recipes, or a query that I may be able to help you with, please do write and I will try to answer your question as soon as possible. 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