Roasted Romanesco Soup with Marash Chile
Who doesn’t love romanesco, the beautiful fractaled member of the cruciferous family? It looks like a mishmash of the landscape of another planet and a one of those neon posters from the 60s. It’s challenging to make chartreuse appealing but romanesco does it with ease.
This is a simple, soothing soup that can be made anytime of the year but I particularly like it in the spring. It’s light, nourishing and invigorates rather than weighing you down. Despite being impossible creamy there is no dairy or starchy vegetables in the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium head of romanesco, chopped into florets & divided
2 onions, diced
2 large yellow carrots, diced (see NOTES)
2 large stalks of celery
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
4-6 c (.95-1.4l) vegetable stock or water
Fresh lemon juice
Chile flakes
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Select about 1 cup of the most beautiful romanesco florets and transfer to a medium bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Put in the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the florets are lightly browned. Set aside.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot add the remaining romanesco, onions, carrots, celery and salt. Stir to combine and cover. Sweat for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Transfer to a blender along with 4 cups of stock. Puree until smooth. Return to the pot and bring to a boil. Adjust thickness to your liking by adding more stock if necessary.
Remove from heat and add a squeeze of lemon. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and garnish with roasted romanesco florets, chile and a glug of olive oil.
Serves 4-6
NOTES
Yellow carrots are used to preserve the pale green color of the romanesco. You can use orange carrots but please note that the color will be darker.
You can adjust the amount of stock added depending on how thick you wish your soup to be.