Romanesco is that wild green vegetable you may have seen sitting next to the broccoli and cauliflower in your produce section. It’s related to both and distinctively delicious. If you cannot find romanesco, then cauliflower — as pictured here — is a perfect substitute. Roasted cauliflower and heritage carrots produce an earthy, hearty mix of flavors. By themselves, these roasted veggies are, well, almost too “veggie” so a sauce a necessary addition.
The sauce suggested here is a tarragon bread mix so very intense in flavor. The punch of the vinegar in the sauce wiggles around the comforting tones of the veggies. If you are a vegetarian, this can be your main dish. If you aren’t, try roasted chicken or a pork loin or steak black on the outside and red inside.
Although it is officially spring, it is also officially cold in the Catskills. True, it’s merely in the low 50’s but it is wet and windy. So, for dinner, roasted veggies like this provides both sustenance and satisfaction. Summer nights in the Catskills can start out warm, but once the sun sinks below the mountain ridges, the temperature can drift low again. So, this dish is a year round adventure in vegetables.
Roasted Romanesco and Carrots with Tarragon Bread Sauce
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces medium carrots (preferably heirloom; about 8), peeled, trimmed, and halved lengthwise
- 12 ounces romanesco or cauliflower (about 1 small head), separated into 2-inch florets (with 1‑inch‑‑long stems)
- 6 small shallots, peeled and halved
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ½-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread, crusts removed
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Preparation:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and place a large heavy baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, toss the carrots, romanesco, and shallots with the olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables out on the preheated baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until tender and deeply browned all over.
Meanwhile, put the bread in a small bowl, pour the vinegar over it, and soak for 5 minutes.
Squeeze the excess vinegar out of the bread and discard the vinegar, then return the bread to the bowl and break it up as finely as possible. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, tarragon, parsley, and garlic and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a platter. Drizzle the tarragon sauce over and serve immediately.
Source: Good Food, Good Life by Curtis Stone [Ballantine Books, 2015]
Photo Information [top]: Canon T2i, 18-55mm Macro Lens, f/4.5, 1/30th second, ISO-400
