Roasted Romanesco with Horseradish Ricotta

Back in lockdown again, I’ve spent the last two weeks making making cakes, muffins and cookies. I’ve slow-roasted quinces, made beef stock from the dog’s marrow bones, and made enough granola to get me through the next two weeks. I haven’t been going to the shops much (I’m a bit of a hoarder with pantry items at the best of times).  As a result, I’m looking for interesting ways to use up small amounts of leftovers in the fridge rather dashing out to the shops for a particular ingredient. We always seem to have small amounts of leftover cheese. This week it was ricotta, and rather than turning out another batch of muffins, I decided to use it in a savoury dish.

Romanescso (Roman cauliflower) is in season again. I picked up some of this beautiful, chartreuse coral-like vegetable with my weekly order of produce from https://farmerandson.com.au As I mentioned in a previous blog post, romanesco  belongs to the plant species Brassica oleracea, which also includes  cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, collard greens, savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.This dish of roasted romanesco with horseradish ricotta works equally with with florets of broccoli or cauliflower. Just crank up the oven to a high temperature, drizzle the romanesco with a little olive oil and sprinkle the florets with salt. Cook them until they start to blacken around the edges. While cooking, whisk some horseradish and olive oil into the ricotta, then season with salt and pepper. I grated fresh horseradish, but you can use horseradish from a jar, too. It made a delicious lunch for two, I think it would be a great side dish with roast chicken or beef.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with the seven half-full jars of olives I found when cleaning out the fridge! Here’s another lovely idea for roasted romanesco: https://atamandastable.com.au/roasted-romanesc…green-pea-hummus/

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

Roasted Romanesco with Horseradish Ricotta

Florets of romanesco roasted until blackened, served with lemon juice and horseradish ricotta, makes a satisfying lunch or side dish.

Servings: 2 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 1/2 romanesco with its leaves, washed and cut into florets
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 1-2 tsp fresh horseradish, grated substitute with bottled horseradish
• 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced) and line a tray with baking paper.
• Scatter the romanesco florets on the tray with the leaves, drizzle with 3 tbsp of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 10 minutes, until they're dark and crispy. Keep an eye of the leaves, which may need to be reomved before then.
• While the romanesco is cooking, whisk the ricotta in a small bowl with the remaining tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of horseradish, and a little salt and pepper. Taste it. Add the remaining horseradish if you like a bit more heat.
• When the romanesco is cooked, arrange the florets and leaves on a plate with the ricotta on the side. Serve with the wedges of lemon to squeeze over the romanesco. Serve immediately.

Notes

The romanesco is best eaten straight out of the oven. The horseradish ricotta can be prepared in advance, and it will keep in the fridge for up to three days.