Of all the cruciferous vegetables, Romanesco is by far the most beautiful and picturesque, chartreuse in color and spiny in texture. It tastes wonderful too, distinctly different from it’s white and dark green counter parts ( little more nutty in flavor).First documented in 16th century Italy, it is distinctly seasonal, a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving and holiday table. The florets are simply roasted with garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper and then a beautiful crunchy, sweet and savory topping made with toasted hazelnuts, my ingredients of the moment preserved lemon, caramelized shallots, currants and parsley, is spooned over the florets. I just love adding a-typical dishes to traditional meals to spice things up a bit. Let’s briefly talk about the health benefits of this member of the Brassica family. It is rich in phytochemicals known as carotenoids which may protect our cells from molecular degeneration, potentially staving off various cancers and it is high in fiber, vitamins C and K. This vegetable is also low in lectins, anti-inflammatory and kids usually love it too. This dish might be a little sophisticated for the littles but there is usually plenty of variety at the holiday table. But why not change it up a bit.

4 servings/prep time 10 minutes/ cook time 20 minutes/ total time 30 minutes

Gather

1 Romanesco broccoli, cut up into bite size florets, washed and dried

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tablespoons / 59.15 ml olive oil plus 3 tablespoons / 44.36 ml

1/2 teaspoon / 2.84 g salt

freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/2 cup / 64 g raw hazelnuts

2 large shallots, finely diced

1 preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and diced

1/4 cup /32 g currants, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes. Discard the water.

2 tablespoons / 28.3 g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped plus a tad more for garnish

Make

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/ 204 C. In a large bowl add the Romanesco florets, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer the Romanesco to a large baking sheet and pop in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, be sure to mix the mixture with a spoon 1-2 times during the roasting time. Careful not to burn.

While the Romanesco is roasting cook the hazel nut and lemon preserve topping.

Place the hazelnuts into a small sauté pan and toast over a medium flame for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool 2-3 minutes. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and set aside.

In a large pan, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium/low flame and then add the shallots. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You are caramelizing the shallots. Then add the hazelnuts, chopped preserved lemon, currants and chopped parsley and stir well, cooking for another minute. Turn off the flame. Transfer the roasted Romanesco into medium size serving bowl, (leaving any over cooked bits of garlic behind on the sheet pan) and then spoon the hazelnut preserved lemon topping over the Romanesco. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm or room temperature.

Recipe Developed by Anna Getty

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