Have you ever spied a beautiful, chartreuse-colored, cauliflower with a spiral row of flowers cascading down its sides like a circular staircase? You’ve just beheld a Romanesco cauliflower, also called Romanesco broccoli, or simply Romanesco. I first saw one of these gorgeous vegetables at the farmers market in Pasadena, and ever since then I get giddy when I see one show up at my local farmers market in Ojai. I can’t wait to bring it home and cook with it in my kitchen. And the Romanesco recipe I love to make most often is this simple Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower with Raisins and Pine Nuts, which is a delicious vegan gluten-free vegetable side dish packed with nutrition.
I took this photo of Romanesco Cauliflower from Tutti Frutti Farms in Santa Barbara, California.
When you have something as beautiful as Romanesco in your kitchen, it’s all about minimal food preparation, as you want to draw attention to the gorgeous plant food as much as possible. In fact, Romanesco’s striking geometric nature, with its series of smaller buds arranged in a logarithmic spiral with the smallest bud becoming sufficiently small, represents a Fibonacci number! Leave it to Mother Nature, right?
At the heart of Romanesco, though, is its beautiful color and taste. My favorite way to serve this beautiful, health-promoting cruciferous vegetable is roasted, in a simply prepared dish, such as this Romanesco recipe I’m sharing with you today. Buon appetito! Learn more about how to cook with Romanesco and additional Romanesco recipes here.
Turn the magical, geometric beauty of Romanesco cauliflower into a simple, rustic vegan, gluten-free veggie side dish in this recipe for Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower with Raisins and Pine Nuts.
Ingredients
Scale
1 medium head (about 1 pound) Romanesco cauliflower
Cooking Romanesco is surprisingly simple. With just olive oil, salt, and a bit of heat, it turns into a really satisfying dish.