HAIL CAESAR, AND HELLO FIORETTO.

New vegetable meets old dressing, has a good time.

There’s a new vegetable in town; a long-stemmed cauliflower that is currently popping up at markets and good fruit-and-veg places. Fioretto has actually been around for a few years, but it has taken the growers a few years to get consistent crops. Now, suddenly, it’s everywhere.

Some of us get inordinately excited at the thought of a new vegetable to play with; probably a reflection of being too easily bored and borderline ditzy, but never mind.

Developed in Japan almost 10 years ago, fioretto is actually a non-GMO hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli, also known a cauli-blossom or stick cauliflower. It’s basically cauliflower’s angelic young cousin, delicate and almost floral; its long, slender stalks topped with clusters of tiny white florets. It reminds me of gypsophila, or baby’s breath.

And it cooks in a FLASH. You can steam it, roast it, grill it, stir-fry it, chuck it on pizzas or into pasta sauce with cheese.

Here, I’ve tossed quickly cooked florets in a very Caesar-ish dressing  - anchovy, garlic, parmesan, lemon juice and mustard, brought together with a little mayo and olive oil - and then showered them with golden breadcrumbs fried in anchovy oil. (Yes, I thought that was a good idea, too).

If you can’t find fioretto (Woolworths on occasion, Harris Farm, etc) - do this anyway with cauliflower, or better, broccolini. And if you’re not big on anchovy, just leave it out. That dressing is flavour-packed as it is, and crumbs fried in non-anchovy olive oil will still be cute.

THE FIORETTO:

• 1 head fioretto (around 500g)

To steam: Break the head of fioretto (technically known as a curd) into stems and steam them for 4 minutes or until the stems are tender enough to eat. Allow to cool from hot to warm before tossing in the dressing.

To roast: Heat the oven to 200C. Break the head of fioretto into stems, toss in a little olive oil and roast for 15 minutes or until the tiny florets look scorched and the stems are tender enough to eat.  This is beautiful just tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper, but it is quietly spectacular with the dressing and the crumbs.

Here is the steamed fioretto; the roasted one is further up.

CAESAR-ISH DRESSING

• 2 anchovy fillets

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

• 1 tbsp mayonnaise or aioli

• 1 tbsp yoghurt (or 2 tbsp mayo  or aioli)

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• Sea salt and pepper

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor, and whiz until smooth and almost fluffy.

Taste and adjust – it should be brightly lemony and irresistibly rich and creamy.

GOLDEN ANCHOVY CRUMBS

• 1 tbsp anchovy oil from can

• 2 tbsp panko or coarse dry breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

Heat the anchovy oil in a small frying pan, and scatter the crumbs over the top.

Push them around with a wooden spoon as they absorb the oil and start to turn golden.

Add the lemon zest, toss the pan a few times, and keep an eye on them.

As soon as the crumbs start turning from golden to brown, tip them out onto paper towel or a plate to stop the cooking.

Thanks for dropping by! And as always, thanks for your comments. Special thanks to Terry for bringing home the fioretto.

I would also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters upon which I work, live, cook and play; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. It’s only fair, folks.