A green dish for a grey day

I must admit that January weather in London is a drag. It slows me down big time. Apart from the odd beautiful, but gelid, sunny day, most of the time the lack of light and the frequent rain make me want to hibernate. Not a chance. During the week, at 6:30am, the alarm clock reminds me that I have a daughter to prepare a lunch box for and that the day ahead of me is going to be a busy one.

On the other hand, not everything is grey. On Tuesdays, my veggie/fruit box from Riverford organic farmers is delivered, and I love to check what is arriving. The colourful produce pulls me out of my lethargy and I get excited about what to cook with the week’s vegetables.

The whole roasted cauliflower or cauliflower steaks, brought to London by middle-eastern restaurants like The Palomar and Nopi, have taken the capital by storm. I absolutely adore them and they’re dishes that currently feature in our meals.

This week’s box brought a beautiful Romanesco broccoli - or Romanesco cauliflower - that I prepared for lunch. The crispy charred bits covered in butter transform this beauty into a gorgeous mouthful. You can have that as a main dish, or as side with a sauce or dip. 

Fruit and veggie box of the week.

Romanesco ready to go to oven.

My roasted Romanesco served with tahini sauce.

Whole roasted Romanesco broccoli

Ingredients 

1 Romanesco broccoli 

50g unsalted butter, softened

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. 

Lightly trim the leaves at the top of the Romanesco. 

In a big pan, large enough to fit the whole Romanesco, add water and salt. Bring to a boil and lower in the vegetable (top facing down). Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the Romanesco to a colander. Set aside until a bit cooler.

Melt the butter with the extra-virgin olive oil. Put the Romanesco facing up in a medium baking tray. Spread the mixture of butter and olive oil all over. Season with sea salt. 

While roasting, baste the Romanesco with the butter mixture approximately 4 times. Roast for about 1 hour – 1 ½ hour. 

The cauliflower is done when it reaches a dark golden-brown colour and you can insert a knife easily. 

Remove from the oven and serve with the tahini sauce (recipe here), yoghurt sauce (recipe here) or citrus miso sauce (see below).

Ingredients for the citrus miso sauce.

Citrus miso sauce

Ingredients

1 cup freshly-squeezed orange (I used bloody orange which was sweet so I added some lime juice too)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive-oil 
1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
 (optional if your orange juice is very sweet)
1/2 cup sweet white miso  
Sea salt (with moderation as miso is already salty)

Method

Whisk the miso, extra-virgin olive oil, orange juice, lime or lemon and pinch of sea salt together. Whisk until you reach a smooth consistency, adding more orange juice or lime or lemon juice as needed.

Healthy notes: Romanesco broccoli/ Romanesco cauliflower/ Broccoflower (Brassica oleracea) is part of the cruciferous family. It is packed with vitamin C, folate, vitamin B5 and Vitamin K. Romanesco is a great source of carbohydrate, and high in fibre that helps with digestion and prevents constipation. It contains the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene that provides our bodies with antioxidants. Romanesco contains a group of substances known as glucosinolates, which are sulfur-containing compounds that helps cleansing the kidneys. It also has a compound called indoles that studies have shown that they can contribute to a cancer-protecting diet. 
Till next week!