The Lovely Romanesco Veggie

Is it a broccoli or a cauliflower? Both Serious Eats and Wikipedia call it broccoli, but the woman at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market said it was cauliflower. And even that Wikipedia article refers to it as Roman cauliflower. So the absurdly beautiful vegetable has both an identity crisis and an intriguing fractal pattern of growth. It's even been called alien, poor thing.

Last night I called it dinner.

I'd been looking for one of these since I read somewhere that it was milder than cauliflower (which I hate, unless roasted). So it was with much excitement that I took this baby home to experiment.

First I had to try it raw. What a mistake. It tastes exactly like raw cauliflower: yucky! I don't know how people choke that down. If you're one of those raw cauliflower-loving types, please help me understand the appeal.

With that failed attempt, I opted for the tried-and-true method of oven roasting. A little olive oil, some Adobo seasoning, and into a 400 degree oven it went for 20 minutes. It came out brown and delicious.

I also threw some in a pan with hot olive oil and fried its little fractal patterns until they were brown and crispy. What doesn't taste good fried? (I also steamed some of it, but that's for another post.)

I had a variety of dipping options for my browned goodness, but I opted to indulge in cheesy dip someone had left in my fridge after a party.

And that was dinner. Veggies and cheese. It's mmm, good!