While shopping at my local farm shop yesterday, a strange and mysterious vegetable caught my eye. It was quite alien-like and beautiful – possibly the most beautiful vegetable i’d ever seen! I asked what it was, and was told it’s called Romanesco, and that it tastes like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. I was sold. It was almost a shame to cut it up and eat it as it was so lovely to look at, but I figured I can always buy another one, and I needed to see what it tasted like. A friend on Twitter (follow me!) commented that it he thought it would be good in a curry. I agreed. The verdict: Romanesco DOES taste like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, is good raw and cooked, and does taste great in a curry, as it holds its shape and flavour well.


- 300g frozen Quorn Chicken Style Pieces
- 1 tin Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
- 2 tins/cartons crushed tomatoes
- 1 Romanesco, cut into florets
- 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
- Heat oil in a medium-large saucepan and saute the onion until softened. Add the garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, tomato paste and ginger. Season with salt. Stir for another minute.
- Stir in chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, romanesco and the frozen Quorn pieces. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the Quorn is heated through and very hot.
- Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt.
- Serve with Naan or rice. Optionally, substitute a fresh, minced chili for chili powder. If you don't want to use Quorn, double the amount of chickpeas. If you can't find a romanesco, substitute with either broccoli, cauliflower, or a half of each.