Roasted Romanesco

I love autumn--all the squash, chanterelle mushrooms, and romanesco. I'd decided to roast vegetables and when I spotted the chartreuse brassica, I reached for small head.

I decided to roast vegetables in part to talk about a recently published recipe.  I send articles and recipes on a regular basis to Marlene's Market and Deli in Tacoma, which is the best place to shop for organic and vegetarian foods in Tacoma. They publish a monthly newletter called The Sound Outlook.  Check it out, see Marlene. 

The November issue is all recipes.  I love that.  Two of mine were featured, a vegan mushroom gravy and a roasted vegetable medley.

Occasionally mistakes are made when recipes are reprinted, and everybody has a recipe for roasted vegetables.  Really--what's so hard about roasting them.  Spread a pound or two of chopped vegetables in a roasting pan.  Drizzle with a little oil, sprinkle with sea salt and back at 350F to 400F until done.

So I didn't look at the roasted vegetable recipe for awhile, but when I picked it up to read it, I was astonished to see 8 tablespoons of oil and even more shocked to see 2 teaspoons of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary.

Yikes!  Mistakes were made, but where?  I can't find the original recipe because neither recipe is one I submitted for the November issue. It took awhile to find the gravy recipe, and maybe I'll post that one next week. 

At any rate, the lesson here is to remember, when reading recipes, mistakes could have been made. Use your own discretion. This is obviously too much oil and salt for any roasted vegetable recipe, and when you increase the amount of vegetables in a recipe, never double the salt or pepper.  I'm also not sure I get the plastic bag technique.  Can't you just stir them in the pan?  Anyway, I continue the hunt for this recipe.

Okay, that said, we can move on to romanesco. I hadn't tried roasting it until I found this amazing roasted romanesco recipe.  Then, I wished I'd gotten more. You don't know how good vegetables can be until you've tasted this.

We've had it in soups, stir frys, salads, but from now on I think I'll roast romanesco.

Looking at romaneco is like viewing a work of art. 

My Cooking Assistant has decided that he likes.  He loves broccoli and cauliflower so romanesco is  a magnet for him.

Shortly after this he weakened and gobbled a few pieces.  I knew I should have gotten a bigger head.

Seriously, it's the addition of toasted garlic that makes the flavor amazing.

Roasted Garlic Romanesco

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

Dash of hot chile powder or cayenne

Romanesco, cut into bite size pieces.

Smoked sea salt or sea salt

Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.   Blend olive oil, garlic and chile powder together.  Lay romanesco in a 9 by 13- inch baking dish. Toss with oil mixture.  Place in oven.  Stir occasionally.  Sprinkle with cheese after 20 minutes.  Return to the oven and continue to bake until tender--about 10 minutes. Season with salt.