Ever wonder what would happen if broccoli and cauliflower got together and had a baby? Maybe it would look a lot like Romanesco or maybe it wouldn't I don't really know. What I do know is Romanesco is one incredibly tasty edible flower!
Romanesco is part of the Brassica oleraceafamily along with broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, and cabbage. All vegetables I love by the way! It is packed with vitamin C, loaded with fiber, and rich in antioxidants. Romanesco holds up really well to a myriad of cooking processes and has a slightly nutty flavor.
Unfortunately it has an extremely short growing season so keep your eyes wide open at your local farmer's market and grocery store for this gem because it will be gone again before you know it. {If you can't find it though this recipe works great with cauliflower instead!}
Romanesco and Eggplant Curry
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 head of romanesco, cut into florets. (I use my kitchen scissors for this)
- 2-3 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1-inch thick rounds
- ½ of 1 large red onion cut into quarters
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 shallot sliced
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into coins
- peel of 1 lime, with as much of the pith removed as possible
- ½ cup cilantro stems
- 2 pieces of lemongrass, smashed up a bit with the back of your knife
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter
To serve
- chopped cilantro leaves
- lime wedges
- sriracha
- cooked rice, quinoa, or millet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the romanesco florets, eggplant rounds, and red onion pieces into a large mixing bowl and toss with the 2 tablespoons coconut oil, kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Spread the veggies out onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until it starts to turn slightly golden.
- While the vegetables are roasting heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, abut 4 minutes. Add the ginger, stir to incorporate then add the lime, cilantro stems, lemongrass stalks, and curry paste. Sauté for an additional minute or so until the curry paste begins to darken in color then add the coconut milk and mix the sauce with a whisk to incorporate the curry paste into the coconut milk completely. Stir in the coconut sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the curry sauce from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the large pieces, pressing on the solids to make sure that you capture every bit of curry sauce possible. Once strained add the lime juice and the coconut butter to the sauce and stir to combine.
- To serve spread rice, millet, or quinoa on a platter and top with roasted vegetables. Drizzle the curry sauce over the vegetables and top with cilantro. {I like to drizzle half of the curry sauce over the veggies before serving and serve the other half at the table for people to add into their own dishes.}
Notes
Cauliflower is a great substitution for the Romanesco if you cannot find it.
Lindsay says
Yum this looks amazing! Going on my Pinterest list!!!
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
This curry looks wonderful. I just picked up some eggplant at the market and was trying to think of what to make with it. This recipe is perfect! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Meg says
Yay Courtney!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.:)
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
This looks so gorgeous! I've actually never cooked with romanesco, but definitely need to pick some up, because how gorgeous is that ingredient?!
Meg says
Thanks so much! I am pretty sure that Romanesco is my new favorite veggie...it tastes incredible and it looks cooler than any other veggie I have ever seen.
Nik@ABrownTable says
This is gorgeous and totally my kind of dish! I would eat this happily in a big bowl.
Meg says
Thanks so much Nik!!! That means a lot coming from the curry king:)