Fractals and Farmers Markets: Romanesco Soup and toast recipe

It’s no secret that we love succulents and one of the quirky things we love about them are their often hypnotizing fractal patterns. Last Sunday while shopping for lunch ingredients we spied some similar patterns at the Hollywood Farmers Market – crates of Romanesco!!! 

Also known as Roman cauliflower, it’s basically what you get if broccoli and cauliflower had a really creative, colorful and somewhat nutty baby! Here are some recipes that we tried out for lunch here at the Jungalow HQ — both came out pretty darn delicious. 

Romanesco Soup (serve chilled or warm) (6-8)

2-3 heads of romanesco

2 large potatoes

1 bunch of leeks

4-8 cloves of garlic

4-6 tbs olive oil

Salt (to taste)

water

cashew milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 425

Chop garlic potatoes and leeks*

Saute half of the garlic with 2 tbs of oil in pan

Cut up potatoes and leeks and add to pot.

Add enough water just to cover.

Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.

Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to fork.

*Some peeps remove the dark leafy greens but I keep em – just make sure you really really wash any sneaky dirt or it will add an unwanted grit to your meal. If you want to skip the blending step, then I’d advise leaving the dark greens out. .

 

Meanwhile …

Divide romanesco into florets.

Toss with remaining olive oil, garlic and bit of salt

Place on cookie sheet tray and roast for about 15 minutes.

 

Blend cooked vegetables until smooth

Adding the cashew milk adds a nice creaminess to the soup.

Serve with parsley pesto and/or crusty bread

Parsley Cashew Pesto

1 bunch of parsley

2-4 cloves of garlic

⅛-¼ cup of cashews (soaking for a couple of hours is ideal but not necessary)

½ – ⅔ cup olive oil

Combine the parsley, garlic, and cashews in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add enough oil to make the texture smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Romanesco Toast

2 cups of roasted or steamed romanesco florets

white bean dip

parsley cashew pesto

A crusty loaf of bread (Roan Mills)

Lemon or lime wedges

Slice and toast bread

Spread either white bean dip (we made ours with flageolet beans) and/or parsley pesto.

Arrange florets on top.

(Optional) add sprinkle of zest or juice of lemon or lime

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

from The Jungalow http://ift.tt/2mtNkUO