Vegetarian mains
Roasted Romanesco with almonds and pistachios
Beautiful, fractal romanesco tossed with toasted almonds and pistachios, fresh herbs, lemon juice and bulgur. This elegant, healthy vegan-friendly main is a good, quick weeknight dinner. Garnish with jewel-like pomegranate seeds if you can find them for added crunch and sweetness.
Ingredients
- 200g bulghur wheat
- 2 small or 1 very large Romanesco
- olive oil
- 100g flaked almonds
- 100g shelled pistachios
- large bunch fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped
- large bunch fresh mint, leaves finely chopped
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- pomegranate seeds (optional)
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
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Step 2
Put the bulghur in a heatproof bowl and pour over at least twice the volume of boiling water. Leave to stand.
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Step 3
Cut the Romanesco into roughly equal sized florets (not too large, or they will burn before they cook). Toss in just enough oil to coat and season.
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Step 4
Roast for 15 minutes, turning once, until just starting to crisp at the edges.
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Step 5
Put the almonds and then the pistachios in a dry frying pan (you'll probably need to do this in batches). Dry fry, stirring now and then, until golden, then chop roughly.
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Step 6
Check the bulghur is cooked, draining off any excess liquid. Toss in a bowl with the Romanesco, nuts, herbs and lemon zest.
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Step 7
Season and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter with pomegranate seeds, if using.
