If you are lucky to have this precious vegetable around, do yourself a favor and grab one. You will be rewarded as you enjoy it in this delicious and straightforward Romanesco Broccoli Recipe.
We had this dish the first day we arrived in Rome. The Jewish Ghetto hosts a variety of Jewish-Roman restaurants with food to die for! Alessandro, our Roman friend, took us there so we could experience firsthand some of this community’s signature dishes and the secrets to master their cooking.
We went to a Jewish restaurant and had a variety of terrific small dishes. I loved the double deep-fried artichokes and the Broccoli Romani in Padella. We decided to reproduce the Broccoli Romanesco recipe to avoid frying artichokes and keep the waistline while still possible. Make sure to try them in your next visit to Rome. They are wonderful.
Romano broccoli and fractals
This beautiful vegetable has some characteristics that make it very interesting from a mathematical point of view: first of all, it has a shape with a fractal appearance, so it repeats itself on different scales.
Its florets reproduce in miniature; the shape of the largest floret and the smaller flowers is precisely the same. I find it very interesting that the number of these elements is always a number that belongs to the Fibonacci sequence, a series in which each number is the sum of the previous two.
Cooking the Romanesco Broccoli
It is crucial to avoid overcooking this beauty, otherwise, you will miss the opportunity to experiment with its texture and amaze your guests with its eye-catching color.
Steaming or boiling your broccoli? I prefer steaming.
If steaming: In a saucepan, set two fingers of water to boiling and put a metal or bamboo colander on top of the saucepan.
Place the florets on top of the colander and put a lid on top, leave them for 2 minutes.
If Boiling, put 4 cups of water to boil. When the water is bubbling with big bubbles, add the broccoli florets and take them out after 30 seconds. Just blanch them.
Your Romanesco Broccoli Recipe Ingredients
Check our post on steaming broccoli and cauliflower to learn how to make the best of your vegetables’ nutritional value.
Romanesco Broccoli Recipe
Equipment
- Colander (or steamer)
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
Optional (and recommended):
- pepperoncino
Instructions
- Clean your Romanesco broccoli under running water.
- Cut the inside stem of the broccoli and the inside of the floret’s branches. Cut them one by one, so you keep the shapes of the florets. Broccoli Alla Romana
- After either steaming or boiling the florets, continue by drying them.
- Let them dry with or dry them up with a tablecloth.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and stir fry the chopped garlic on medium heat for 30 seconds, until golden and add the broccoli florets.
- Add salt and pepper (or pepperoncino).
- Serve hot!
Nutrition
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