This beautifully-strange cauliflower is perfect raw or cooked and is a highly nutritious food. Many studies link Romanesco to preventing digestive tract cancers. It has high levels of carotenoids, which help promote glowing skin, and iron, Vitamin C and folate, which combat anemia an are beneficial for healthy reproductive systems.
Its strikingly chartreuse structure is unlike any other vegetable. Its florets, rather than being rounded, tower into a pyramid of spiraling peaks – fractal. If you break off a piece, it contains a replica of itself, which contains a replica of itself, and so on. It’s like a hall of mirrors.
The florets have the same texture as white cauliflower, but the flavor is more earthy, with a slightly nutty flavor. Some say the flavor is more like broccoli than cauliflower.
Farmer’s Market Romanesco Cauliflower Pasta
- 1 head romaneso cauliflower
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 lb of fresh linguini
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, finely copped
- 1/3 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Cut the cauliflower in half, cut out the inner core and break off the pointy florets into 1-inch pieces.
Put a large pan on medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil and heat up. Add the shallot ands ir for a minute or two, then add the cauliflower. Continue to cook and stir for about 8 to 10 minutes uncovered until the florets start to brown. Start making the pasta.
Add some salt and pepper to the cauliflower. Pour in the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan by rubbing with a wooden spoon and stirring everything in the pan. Put the heat on low, cover and steam for about a minute until the cauliflower is tender. Add the basil
Remove the sauce form the heat and pour over the pasta. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
Serves 4
