Roasted Romanesco

222Imagine a lime-green head of broccoli with mesmerizing spiral florets. The odd-looking vegetable you are thinking of is called Romanesco!

This exotic vegetable belongs to the same cruciferous vegetable family as broccoli and cauliflower. Nevertheless, when I spotted it in the produce section of Friendly City, I could not stop staring at it. The vegetable truly looks like it was left behind after an alien invasion!

Little did I know, Romanesco is just as nutrient-dense and delicious as it is aesthetically appealing. The vegetable is high in important vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, fiber, and folate. You may be surprised to know that Romanesco has about 4 grams of protein per 100 grams or 3.5 ounces of florets.

You can eat chopped Romanesco florets raw with your favorite yogurt dip or hummus. The intriguing spiral shapes of the florets are a beautiful addition to any vegetable platter. You can also steam and season them as I do in this recipe. I tried roasting Romanesco with fresh thyme. Thyme has a dry aroma and an earthy, savory flavor. It complements root vegetables like beets and potatoes well. I knew it would taste equally as wonderful with a similarly starchy vegetable like Romanesco broccoli

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 head Romanesco, cut (Romanesco can be cut in the same way as broccoli)
2 T. fresh thyme
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 T. Parmesan (grated) or nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the head of Romanesco in half. Using a paring knife, cut the florets from the stem. Transfer the spiral florets to a sheet pan.

Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Strip thyme leaves and sprinkle about 1 ½ T. of thyme leaves over the florets. I placed the used lemon sliced on the sheet pan as well; the heat will release more lemon flavor during cooking.

Roast for about 20 minutes or until crisp. When the florets are done, sprinkle a bit of parmesan or nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor!

Romanesco may be the most unusual looking vegetable you’ve ever seen. Try it and experiment with this recipe.

Happy cooking!

 

Madeleine Wirth
Madeleine is a senior at James Madison University, studying to be a registered dietitian. She loves exploring recipes with fresh and nutritious ingredients. As a native to the Shenandoah Valley, she passionately supports the local food economy in Harrisonburg.