The market · Vegetables · Southern Europe
Romanesco
A lime-green brassica from around Rome, its head a spiral of pointed spirals — firmer, sweeter and nuttier than cauliflower.
nutty · sweet · firm
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Italian greengrocers and markets: heavy, sharp-pointed and bright, with no browning on the tips.
- Worth knowing
- Break it into florets that keep the spiral shape, blanch for a minute, then roast or char hard; it goes from crisp to mush quickly, so test often. In Rome it's braised with anchovy, garlic and chilli.
