Simple Romanesco Gratin
Romanesco, a well-known relative to broccoli, is actually the edible flowering head of the larger plant itself. Romanesco’s flowering heads grow in a naturally occurring fractal. The geometric curves repeat themselves at a progressively smaller and smaller scale. They are mesmerizing to look at with their twisty, spiny protrusions, which spin-off into logarithmic Fibonacci spirals. Romanescos can be found in the cool winter season. Growing romanesco requires consistent water and highly organic soil to thrive. It is planted in the fall and can be enjoyed throughout the winter season to early spring. It is loaded with Vitamins C and K, iron, folate, fiber, protective carotenoids, and phytochemicals.
With its lime green color and detailed geometric shapes, Romanesco is hard to resist whenever it catches the eye of customers at the farmer’s market.
We are excited to offer them in our CSA boxes this week. We are sharing a recipe from the Country Spoon blog. This recipe is simple and easy to execute. It is a lighter version of tradition gratin that does not miss out on any comforting flavor.
Selection & Storage: Generally, the freshest selection of Romanesco will be readily available at the farmers market, or in your weekly CSA box. At Home, Keep greens on the romanesco and store in a dry vegetable bin. Eat within the next few days.
Romanesco Gratin
Ingredients:
1 large head of romanesco
3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 large Vidalia onion – chopped
3 T. good olive oil
1 T. whole grain dijon mustard
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 c. Asiago cheese – finely shredded
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. freshly cracked black pepper
Recipe:
In a medium-size baking dish, drizzle bottom to coat with olive oil – about 1 T. Heat water in a steamer. Start by breaking larger crowns off the head of romanesco, discarding harder white steams and divide each crown into thirds or halves depending on the size. Keep breaking off crowns and dividing them if needed, keeping any small bite-size ones whole. Steam for about 6-8 minutes or until fork-tender.
Preheat oven to 375. In a small frying pan, heat 1 T. olive oil. Once hot, add onion and garlic and saute until caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in mustard. Divide in half in the pan. In a medium bowl, combine steamed romanesco, half of the onion, garlic, mustard mixture, 1/2 c. of finely shredded asiago cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into dish and drizzle with remaining 1 T. olive oil.
Add 1/2 c. of panko bread crumbs and 1/2 c. asiago cheese to the onion, garlic and mustard in the pan. Stir and scrap bits from the pan and top romanesco mixture in dish and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown