Gorgeous, isn’t it?
As the on-again off-again Glasgow Summer had decided to give us a few days of showers and a good bit of a chill, we have had the good fortune to get hold of one of these strange vegetables. It’s a relative of broccoli … but is far more geometric and interesting to look at, and has a far more timid taste for being part of the brassica bunch. We’ve had Romanesco before, and everybody either says to oven-roast them and then add a cream sauce, or to steam them and add a cheese sauce. We concluded from this that what they lack is flavor and fat, so we figured that makes them a good candidate for a soup.
Into the pot went an onion, chopped, some olive oil, and some smoked torula yeast. While the onions were browning, we chopped up two small potatoes and the romanesco. Into the pot they went with a cube of bouillon, some garlic powder, and some water. And that’s it, really. The whole thing boiled for about half an hour, and then met up with the immersion blender.
To finish, we crumbled in a bit of sharp cheddar, and with a few crackers to the side we had a complete meal. If we’d had any on hand (this was one of those “between grocery trips” dishes), we would have added julienned fresh herbs, maybe a bit of sour cream or yogurt, or a few slivered chives, for visual interest. The finished soup was very light, and fairly low-fat, but definitely satisfying, with a smooth, creamy mouth-feel, which gave us the idea that we’d had something richer. It filled the bill for one of those “five a day” requirements veggies and some of our fiber requirement as well (particularly when eaten with Ryvita crackers).
A dietitian once told us that a person needs two pounds of food to feel full — so the heavy liquids of soups and stews are a DOUBLY welcome addition to chilly days.
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We buy them as a nod to Fibonacci, but you’re right, they do lack flavor. Still, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to cream them – LOL!
It is indeed a gorgeous vegetable. I first saw it on Susan’s blog (Well-seasoned Cook). Thanks for the info on its taste elements.
That is one of the strangest looking veggies I have ever seen. It really is odd but beautiful at the same time.
Romanescos sure are vibrant for being so mild mannered in flavor. The soup sounds perfect…it’s foggy here (your remember foggy summers 🙂 so soup is welcome and this one is so healthy and yummy sounding.
ok, so this looks scary. really. i think it is the angles and patterns of the…whatever it is. i admire you both for being able to figure out what to do with it edibly. very brave.
What an awesome looking thing! I love the whorls and spikes on it. I added you as a contact on flickr–my account is just my name. Nothing bake-tastic about it, unfortunately. I’m definitely drooling over your photos of Scotland!