I’ve heard people say that romanesco looks a bit intimidating but, if you’ve never tried it before, this broccoli and cauliflower cousin is absolutely delicious and – to me – resembles something like a magical castle. That’s a pretty fancy shape for a vegetable.
Roasting it whole is the easiest way to prepare it, though if you’re in a rush, you can always separate the romanesco into florets right away.
I prefer slicing pieces of the whole roasted head of romanesco and then topping it (while it’s still warm) with the z’aatar, chestnut honey, and wholegrain mustard flavored ricotta for some subtle richness.
Tips: If you cannot find fresh ricotta, make your own (it’s fairly simple!) or use store-bought – you may just need to “fluff” it up more and add some extra spices and flavorings to it, to taste.
Roasted romanesco with honey-mustard ricotta
You’ll need:
- 1 head romanesco
- 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 3 T chestnut honey
- 1 T wholegrain mustard
- 1/2 t z’aatar
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Rub the romanesco with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and place on a piece of foil.
2. Roast for about 40-45 minutes until browned on top and just fork tender. You want the stems to retain a bit of a bite (also easier for cutting later!)
3. In the meantime, use a spoon to fold and mix in 1 T of olive oil, the honey, mustard, and z’aatar spices into the ricotta. Taste for salt.
4. Once the romanesco is ready, serve it sliced and warm, topped with plenty of ricotta cheese and, perhaps, a little extra honey on top.
These just showed up at our local co-op. I’ll have to try them now. 🙂
Yes! Please do, you’ll enjoy them.
These lovely green vegetables haven’t really turned up in my hometown yet. I’m fascinated by them every time I see pictures as they definitely look like a fusion of broccoli and cauliflower! Love the idea of serving this roasted (yum – love roasting broccoli and cauli already) with the ricotta mix. Fresh and delicious xx
Perhaps, you’ll come across more romanesco on your travels, Laura! And, I find, a little ricotta never hurts on most things 🙂
Roasting brassicas is one of my favourite winter techniques. The way you dress the romanesco sounds fantastic – I have a lot of your recipes bookmarked to try and I’m adding this one!
Thank you so much, Teresa! I think you’ll love this one.
Looks delicious as always and your combination of roasted Romesco, with milky ricotta and chestnut honey, makes this a feast! I’ve never heard of Chestnut Honey, will certainly need to keep my eyes peeled for that one 🙂
Thanks, Alice! Chestnut honey is darker and a little headier, with slightly bitter undertones. It’s good stuff 🙂