This vegetarian (and vegan adaptable) dish is a feast for your eyes! It’s absolutely addicting when dunked in the flavor bomb of a dipping sauce! Enjoy as a shared starter/meze or sliced into wedges as a main.
Whole Roasted Romanesco with Lemon Curry Yogurt Sauce
This vegetarian dish is a feast for your eyes! It's absolutely addicting when dunked in the flavor bomb of a dipping sauce! Enjoy as a shared starter/meze or sliced into wedges as a main.
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 strainer
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 clean kitchen towel or paper towel
- 1 paring knife
Ingredients
Romanesco
- 1 lb head romanesco may sub cauliflower
- ½ lb red onion sliced into 4 large wedges (1/2 medium onion)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp zaatar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup coarse breadcrumbs homemade is best
Lemon Curry Yogurt Dip
- ¾ cup whole milk Greek yogurt sub dairy free yogurt to make it vegan
- 1 lemon juiced, about 3 tbsp
- 1 tsp curry masala powder
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water and a generous splash of vinegar. Remove any leaves from the romanesco and place in a strainer. Submerge the strainer in the bowl of water and place a plate on top to keep it submerged; leave in the water for 5-10 minutes.
- Lift colander and let excess water drip into the bowl; set aside on top of a kitchen towel. Inspect the water for any bugs. If there are any bugs visible, repeat this process; if the water is free & clear, rinse off the vinegar water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Preheat the oven to 375 ° F and set a rack to the middle position.
- In a medium bowl whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, za'atar, oregano, cumin, sea salt, and pepper.
- Trim the protruding core of romanesco with a paring knife. I then remove 1" of the internal core without disturbing the veggie; it's important to keep it intact.
- Place romanesco in one hand with the core side up. With the other hand, slowly pour a few spoonfuls of the sauce. This process reminds me of watering plants; stop when the water (sauce) starts dripping through the bottom.
- Place in an oven safe dish flanked by wedges of red onion. Pour the remaining sauce over-top and loosely drape with foil. Bake for 60 minutes, removing halfway to baste romanesco in its pan juices.
- Meanwhile, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, curry masala, and sea salt. Cover and place in the fridge until serving.
- Remove foil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs; bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Enjoy straight out of the dish or transfer to a serving plate. Serve alongside the Lemon Curry Yogurt Dip. I suggest serving with baguette for dunking in the za'atar OO and roasted red onion.
