Beef and Broccoli (Romanesco)

Sadly, my Year of the Pig/Boar has come to an end…however, Happy Lunar New Year!

And what perfect timing. I have a mildly Chinese recipe to post, and what better time to post than Chinese New Year.

Three days before the Superbowl party and I am frantically trying to cook everything in my fridge to make way for the massive amount of groceries required to feed 45 people. And I come across this THING in my fridge. The thing that looks like an alien Christmas tree. Quite beautiful actually, but, what IS it?

It’s romanesco. As mentioned previously, I received romanesco in my Mysterious Thursday box. After a bit of research, it turns out romanesco is part of the cabbage/brussel sprouts/cauliflower family. Many websites and blogs described it as a nutty cauliflower. Maybe I’m just a bad foodie. Blindfolded, I wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between this and broccoli. And at 9:30pm when I’m hungry, that’s the treatment it’s going to get. Beef and broccoli, er romanesco, time. Oh the irony of a white washed Chinese/Taiwanese girl making beef and broccoli for a white boy and herself.

I quickly chopped up the romanesco and some leftover beef. I briefly sauteed the beef and romanesco separately, then threw it all back in to coat it in sauce. Thrown on top of some rice and I was golden. Sorry, no real measurements here due to the “quick, feed me before I get grumpy” cooking style.

Beef and Broccoli (Romanesco)

Thinly sliced beef
Romanesco/Broccoli florets
Minced garlic
Minced shallots
Olive oil
Sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T sherry
1/3 c oyster sauce
1 T cornstarch mixed with water

Quickly saute the beef until just before cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

Quickly saute the broccoli/romanesco until cooked. Set aside.

Mix soy sauce, sherry and oyster sauce in a small bowl. Taste – dilute with water if necessary.

Heat up garlic and shallots in a mix of olive oil and sesame oil. Add beef and broccoli. Add sauce mixture and coat beef and broccoli evenly. Add cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. The sauce should thicken upon mixing. Serve on top of hot rice.

Romanesco links of interest:
Food meets math?
Cook (almost)Anything at Least Once’s romanesco
Buy romanesco seeds from Amazon