Farm Box, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

This week's bounty!

I love Fridays when my farm box arrives. For someone who likes to cook, it's like a Christmas present appearing on the doorstop every other week.  The program I have lets me customize my box, and somehow, this week, I think I must have had a major Alzheimer's moment, because I added a lot of stuff to my box, but forgot to remove the things I didn't want.  The end result:  three different types of brocolli, three different types of mushrooms, too many types of greens to count, and all of this coming at the start of a three day weekend which I would be spending in Tucson, celebrating my Dad's 87th birthday. 

With such an abundance of cruciferous brassicas, I decided I had better make something with them right away.  Meaty, hearty roasted romanesco was my choice for today's lunch.  Romanesco is sometimes called cauliflower and sometimes brocolli, and I think the naming confusion occurs because it's actually a cross between the two vegetables.  It is supposedly a good source of numerous vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, and K as well as folate, fiber, iron, manganese, carotene, protein, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids.

My recipe had to be fast, because not only did I need to prepare it this morning before leaving for work, but I also needed to wash, prep and store all the rest of the vegetables.  I decided to simply roast it with salt, rosemary, olive oil, garlic and a kiss of cayenne.  This is a classic and easy preparation which requires just a little chopping followed by tossing the ingredients together then spreading on a baking sheet and roasting for about 25 minutes.

Since this was going to be my lunch, I decided to add some grated parmesan cheese and nuts to boost the protein content.  However, I ran out of time to toast the nuts, and I happened to have a bag of Good Bean "crispy crunchy" chickpeas, so I used those instead.  I think that toasted sliced almonds or pinenuts would also have been really delicious.  In hindsight, it would have been best to add the chickpeas just before eating, because they lost a little of their crunch after sitting in my lunchbox for a couple of hours.

Garlic and Olive Oil Roasted Romanesco

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven

I head of Romanesco, broken into even size florets and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
optional:  1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place all the ingredients in a ziplock bag, toss well to distribute the seasoning, then spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray (to make clean up easier).  Roast for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables develop a nice dark carmelization in spots.


If adding nuts and cheese, use 2 Tbsp each of your favorite toasted nuts and grated cheese such as parmesan or another hard flavorful cheese. Add after the vegetables come out of the oven. 

Brocolli Redemption

Just look at all those crispy browned bits!

After yesterday's vegetarian chile verde fiasco I was feeling the pressure to redeem myself and prove that I actually do know how to cook.  Today's recipe for roasted broccoli and lemon aioli was just the thing I needed to restore my confidence. This recipe came from a Facebook post by Food and Wine magazine featuring all things broccoli, but I made a couple small adjustments to reduce the amount of mayonnaise, and to use broccolini and cauliflower instead of regular brocolli, because I happened to have those items from my farm box delivery this week.  I think this would also taste great with carrots, artichokes and maybe even parsnips, if you wanted to change it up once you tire of the basic recipe.  Another reason I chose this recipe was because I have an abundance of lemons, which like all citrus, are in peak production right now.

I have to do something with all these lemons!

I made this recipe for lunch on a chilly February day, and it provided a warm, comforting alternative to my usual salad.   I dare you to try to resist eating the whole pan yourself!   These have a great flavor that is reminiscent of artichoke hearts, and a nice crispy crunch in the sections that started to char.  If you want to add a little protein, some roasted pine nuts, cashews or almonds would make a delicious garnish.

Roasted Brocolli and Cauliflower with Lemon Aioli

Preheat oven to 400°F

1 head of cauliflower, florettes broken off and cut into even sizes, along with the stems

1 bunch of broccolini or a head of broccoli with the florets and stem cut into even-sized pieces

1/2 cup vegenaise or mayonnaise 

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Juice and zest of one small lemon (about 2 tbsp juice and a tbsp of zest)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne 

2 tbsp nutritional yeast or finely grated Parmesan cheese

Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into even pieces and place them in a large bowl.  To make the aioli, purée the remaining ingredients except the nutritional yeast or cheese together in a high-powered blender until very smooth. Pour over the veggies and toss them well to coat evenly.  Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on the baking trays.  Roast for 15 minutes then sprinkle the nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese lightly over the top. Rotate the pans in your oven, and continue to roast for 3 to 5 minutes longer,  or until the florets are just starting to blacken on the tops and edges.

As you can see in the picture, the undersides have developed an incredible carmelization.   When this happens, it's time to remove the pans from the oven, rain on a little bit of finishing salt and then serve immediately.  Try to resist eating the whole pan yourself!   These have a great flavor that is reminiscent of artichoke hearts, and a nice crispy crunch in the sections that started to blacken.  If you want to add a little protein and even more crunch, some roasted pine nuts, cashews or almonds would be a delicious addition.