Cornish Food Market

The cauliflower from space

February 21, 2012 in | 0 comments

A Romanesco Cauliflower is causing much of a stir in the office today as we await its arrival tomorrow morning. A rather unique looking vegetable which looks like something descended from space, it is beautiful in colour and demands admiring and photographing as much as it does cooking. The other unique quality of this vegetable is it follows the Fibonnacci sequence and is apparently an amazing example of phyllotaxi – the fractal patterning that occurs in nature.

The taste of a Romanesco Cauli is sweet and sits somewhere between that of a typical cauliflower and broccoli. It’s good for you, as are all brassicas, being packed full of nutrients such as vitamin A, C and E and potassium.

Romanesco cooks like a cauliflower and will hold its shape during the cooking process although the lime-green colouring does fade a little during the process. You can cook the whole head of the Romanesco by removing the outer leaves and stem to make it sit flat. Put in the steamer and cook for about 15 minutes. Alternatively you can break off the individual florets and cook them like you would a normal cauliflower, perhaps covering with cheese, using as a crudité or steaming and drizzeling with olive oil and lemon.

Romanesco Cauliflower is available to buy now at £1.89 each. View >>