So, we’re down at the fish market getting supplies for the first course of a progressive dinner (as you do) and there’s a tray in the produce store, beautifully displayed of ‘baby cauliflower’. Except that there are at least three different varieties of things. We are especially fascinated by one of the varieties… It’s only $3 and boyf says that it looks like the world when you’re on acid. Conjecture of course.
Whoah. Trippy broccoli variant, sometimes called a cauliflower
It’s one of those things that make me go: I’ve made it to 44 years of age and have never seen one of these things in my life.
I post it on facebook [sidenote: I’m with a group of 6 people and they all start making negative tut-tut noises about facebook indicating without words: ‘waste of time’, ‘destructive influence’, ‘society and personality destroyer’. ‘I love facebook,’ I say, brightly] and suddenly I’m learning all sorts of things. What a fractal is. The golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers. That it is called a Romanesco Broccoli (or sometimes a Romanesco Cauliflower) and is tasty.] Friends advise to put it on display and boyf places it in a Martini glass surrounded by some odd flowers nicked off one of our succulents.
We leave it on our table for a week, bringing us fractal fluorescent lime green joy, and then I mix it in with some real cauliflower for a roasted garam masala cauliflower-romanesco broccoli recipe. It’s delicious.
I personally have not seen one in person, but would love to taste this, 1. I love vegetables but have never seen a veg that looks psychedelic. Def looks delicious and so damn beautiful at the same time. …………….. 420
Wow! Did you get these at the Sydney Fish Markets? Whereabouts? 🙂
The great produce store, all the way at the end of the fish markets. They don’t always have them, but they have a great selection of produce.