Romanesco Cauliflower Two Ways

Romanesco Cauliflower Two Ways

Romanesco Cauliflower Two Ways. I started seeing these beautiful vegetables a couple years ago and they are so amazing, they are a bit surreal. Hard to believe their perfection, they each are a piece of art.

I bought a Romanesco Cauliflower (you may hear them called Broccoli too) the other day and I wanted to try something different. So as usual I surf the net and look at a variety of ways to cook whatever I have in mind. I found this really interesting recipe that had a Mediterranean influence and I decided to play with that. I think the idea of black olives in the sauce somehow appealed to me. Check out Laurie Constantino and other recipes at this site http://www.laurieconstantino.com

I made the first dish and it was very flavourful in a subtle and delicious kind of way. We had a feast and there was still quite a bit leftover at the end of our meal. Immediately I was thinking what wonderful soup the leftovers would make and I how I would add some coconut milk and spices and blend in in the Vitamix.  Wonderful!

Follow me as I share with you how you can make these two very unique dishes with natures art….

Romanesco Cauliflower Two Ways

Let’s start with the steamed Romanesco Cauliflower. You will make a base of onions and other delicious ingredients and then place your prepared cauliflower on top to steam till done.

What you will need for your Steamed Romanesco Cauliflower:

• 1 large Romanesco cauliflower

  

• 2 T olive oil
• 3 c onions, sliced into fairly good sized pieces
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c pitted and quartered Kalamata olives
• 1 c water
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make your Steamed Romanesco Cauliflower

1. Clean the Romanesco Cauliflower and cut out the core from the bottom. Wash and set aside
2. Get out a deep pot, one big enough to hold all the ingredients for the sauce and the Romanesco Cauliflower (in one piece)
3. Heat the saucepan and add the oil
4. Add onions and saute till transparent
5. Add in the olives, pepper flakes, water, salt and pepper
6. Place the cauliflower on the onions mixture and bring the liquid to a boil.

   

7. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the cauliflower is the firmness you enjoy.  About 25 -40 minutes (depends on the size of your Romanesco)
8. Remove the cauliflower carefully and set it aside for a moment.
9. Check your sauce to see if its the consistency you like. If it is you are ready to serve. If you’d like it a bit thicker, let it cook down a bit or add a bit of chick pea flour to thicken. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference.

   

10. When ready to serve, spoon the onion sauce in a large flat bowl and then gently place the cauliflower on top. Slice to serve and include some of the sauce with each serving. Enjoy.
    

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    Romanesco Cauliflower Soup

     

As I mentioned earlier, when I looked at the leftovers, I thought….soup. Then I thought coconut milk and some spices and that is what I basically did. I put it all together in the blender and called it soup. It was so delicious, really hard to describe the subtle flavours and creamy texture. Just perfect.

What you will need to make your Romanesco Cauliflower Soup – Made from the above recipe leftovers

If you eat all of the first recipe, you will not have the first ingredient which is…..the leftovers

• The leftovers (about 1/2 – 2/3 of your original recipe – adjust the following below accordingly)
• 1 can of coconut milk, may need less if you ate more
• 1 can of kernel corn, use the liquid too
• 2 T Bragg Soy Seasoning
• 2 T Miso Paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Basil flakes sprinkled on top (these were from my garden and dehydrated, wonderful flavour)

How to make make your Romanesco Cauliflower Soup

Now this is not going to be exact.

1. I took the leftovers, about 1/2 – 2/3rd of the original dish, and put in in the high speed blender. I added in a can of coconut milk, two – three Tablespoons of Miso Paste and 2-3 Tablespoons of Bragg Soy Seasoning, a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

   

2. Once I had it all in my high speed blender (a regular blender would work) I blended it all together till creamy smooth. Then I heated it up in a saucepan and added some basil flakes just before serving.

I would be willing to make the first dish, not eat it all so that I had leftovers, just to experience this delightful soup.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.