I remembered a Sicilian Potato Gratin recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appetit where the gratin was studded with capers. What a yummy idea so I decided to do a rendition of it with romanesco instead of potatoes.
I layered my romanesco florets and pecorino shavings into a buttered casserole dish and baked it at 375 degrees until crispy golden brown on top. I plated it on top of some creamy soft polenta and at that point I suddenly realized that I had absent-mindedly left out my capers. Doh! To improvise, I ended up using the briny capers as garnish along with some chopped parsley. This dish has so many flavors going on. It tastes fresh and as my friend Kiel put it last night, "It tastes like an instant shot of vitamins." Food that's good for you can taste good too.
17 Comments
sutherland
02 Mar 2008 09:03 pm
[this is good] This gluten-free creation deserves a weekend encore! Ever a fan of smashed hominy (with butter, heavy cream, usual suspect seasonings)?
Fanny
02 Mar 2008 11:03 pm
That looks lovely – your romanesco are much paler than the ones we have here – the florets here are very green. I wonder if they grow them differently – if it’s like the white asparagus/green asparagus thing (they grow the white undercover)
Patricia Scarpin
03 Mar 2008 05:03 am
Romanesco is so beautiful, Julie – you’ve taken it to a whole new level! Delicious!
Mah
03 Mar 2008 06:03 am
Such beautiful, beautiful food!!! Oh, your lucky friends!!!!
MoOgooGuypAN
03 Mar 2008 11:03 am
[das ist gut] Wow. I’ve didn’t even know what romanesco was. Your so worldy.
julie
03 Mar 2008 03:03 pm
Hominy… that sounds great with lots of butter and cream. Yum. I’ve only had it in posole (which is awesome). Thanks for the suggestion, Sutherland.
rocksnightly
03 Mar 2008 05:03 pm
[this is good] I love eating fractals!
Purplesque
03 Mar 2008 06:03 pm
[this is good] Wow..I had no idea what Romanesco was! As always, great pictures. But what I really like about your food is the way you combine flavors. Irresistible.
Rebecka
05 Mar 2008 12:03 am
[this is good] I was gonna say the same thing as porkette; the romanesco in Sweden is much greener, not white as cauliflower. And it doesn’t taste a lot around here, either. Well, maybe it’s just me.
Mary Mary
05 Mar 2008 07:03 pm
what kind of camera do you have?
Food Rockz Man
06 Mar 2008 08:03 am
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten romanesco . . . what an amazingly funky looking food! I never see romanesco around DC, but I’m going to have to look harder and give it a try when I find it. You rock(z)!
Disenchantedaisy
06 Mar 2008 11:03 am
Yummy! Great photos as well – I still say you should write a cookbook!
Kimmie
06 Mar 2008 04:03 pm
[this is good] congrats on getting into [culture is good]. 😉
shellakers
06 Mar 2008 10:03 pm
[this is good]
Count me in the number of people who’ve never heard of Romanesco! Does it taste anything like cauliflower? I know you said it had a nutty taste so it doesn’t sound like it would taste like cauliflower but the Romanesco just looks so much like it.
This looks DELICIOUS!
Singing Horse
07 Mar 2008 09:03 pm
[this is good] Gorgeous photos again! I almost bought a romanesco before but didn’t really know what to do with it except for roasting it. Now I know what to do. Thanks for the creative idea!
Sujatin
09 Mar 2008 03:03 am
[this is good] This looks wonderful and is definitely going to be added to my repertoire – thank you!
laughing in the rain
10 Apr 2008 05:04 am
I’ve never heard of Romanesco; your recipe makes it look delicious, tho! What kind of camera and lens are you using for your food pictures?
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