Our pick this week is more produce than product, but Romanesco, pictured to the right, is as lovely to eat as it is to admire. (And it has a true Mandelbrot fractal structure, so you can feel smart while you serve it to friends.)

Aficionados describe the taste as akin to a mild broccoli crossed with a cauliflower. And this fancy-looking food lends itself well to any dish that calls for one or both of those fresh favorites. It is also a crunchy, tasty addition to any salad or vegetable tray, adding flavor and beauty in equal measure.

Before you head off to the market, be aware that this lovely vegetable goes by many names, including Romanesco Broccoli, Broccoli Romanesco, Romanesca Cauliflower, Summer Cauliflower or Broccoli Veronica. It is also sometimes lumped with green- curded cauliflower into a vague category called “broccoflower.” But, contrary to produce legend, Romanesco is not the fruit of a union between a broccoli plant and a cauliflower plant. It is an edible flower of the species Brassica oleracea – a variant of cauliflower.

Romanesco is rich in both vitamin C and fiber, so it has more to offer than good looks and excellent taste. Some tips on its preparation:

·  Don’t overcook it. Like its cousins, it will get mushy fast. It actually tends to be more tender than broccoli, so adjust your cooking times accordingly.

·  Its flavor is milder than broccoli but not as mild as cauliflower, so don’t overwhelm it with heavy sauces, but don’t be afraid to experiment.

·  Romanesco is great in soups but works just as well raw in salads – it is very versatile in texture and flavor.

·  Many cooks recommend searing your Romanesco spears before steaming or adding them into a dish to cook further (or sear them in a little butter until tender and eat them up – that’s good, too.)

·  In a cooked dish, it pairs very well with both garlic and cheese flavors.

·  Romanesco is only in season in early fall, from September through November, so act fast!

Today is National Potato Day, and we are celebrating with our favorite side dish, French fries.  If you have never tried cooking them at home, watch this video to see how easy it is!

Side Dishes:
How To Make Skinny French Fries

Tomorrow, we celebrate National Blueberry Muffin Day!  So wake up Saturday morning and whip some up for the family (or for yourself).  We just happen to have an easy recipe for you!  If your kitchen is stocked with the essentials, you may just need to make a quick run to the market for blueberries. read more »

June 3 is National Egg Day, so as you head home (staying on the sunny side of the street, of course), you might consider how to incorporate this versatile, delicious staple into tonight’s meal. read more »

We approached a culinary novice today, someone who might enjoy a few ideas on how to cook easy, familiar dishes in a new or fun way. (Or, well, at all.)
“What’s a good food topic for the blog today?” we asked.
“Tacos,” says he. “People want to read about cooking tacos.”
So. Tacos. read more »

Today is National Brisket Day, which converges deliciously with the fact that May is National Barbecue Month. Therefore, we bring you (fresh off the, um, mental grill) some fun facts and tips about brisket. And, of course, some recipes to try tonight, if you’re feeling festive.

Brisket is classified as a tough cut of meat, which is why it’s cooked slowly until it’s more tender. This long process also gives the meat lots of time to absorb flavor. Brisket is generally inexpensive and, when wrapped tightly, can be fresh frozen anywhere from six to twelve months. This cut of meat should be quick seared or braised before the main cooking process begins. read more »

Well, if you’re in Ann Arbor, Mich., June 2, you can pretend!

In Tunisia, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean-inspired dishes speak with a French accent. Spicier than most other North African cuisine, Tunisian food features a warm, sun-based flavor palette grounded in mainstays like couscous and sundried tomatoes. In June, you can get a mouthful of this blend-of-many-flavors at Zingerman’s Deli when the eatery presents ZingFeast: Flavors of Tunisia with Moulins de Mahjoub.

At the event — part of a monthly series of ZingFeasts — Onsa and Majid Mahjoub, who own Les Moulins Mahjoub in Tunisia, will serve their hand-rolled couscous and wild mulberry jam alongside stories about the traditional foods and history of their native land. read more »

On a recent visit to one of our favorite little lunch spots, a question arose that hadn’t really ever crossed my mind before.  The culprit was a plate of grilled chicken with sauteed spinach and romesco.  After thoroughly enjoying my lunch, a phenomenon happened that was so off-putting that I had to get to the bottom of it.  Not until I was back at my desk and googling like a mad person, did I find that this is a perfectly natural (however annoying) occurance.  Cooked spinach makes your teeth feel…hmmm….fuzzy?  No, gritty?  Well, it’s more like….stripped with paint thinner.  Not that I’ve ever gargled with paint thinner.  But, if I had to imagine what it is like, this would be it. read more »

Not-so-coincidentally, February is National Cherry Month and American Heart Month.  Studies show that cherries are a great sourch of antioxidants by way of flavonoids called anthocyanins.  These anthocyanins are thought to reduce the risk of coronary disease.  Also, cherries are one of the only fruits that contain melatonin (you know, that homeopathic pill that your friend told you to take for your sleep disorder).  read more »

Perfect Recipe for celebrating National Pretzel Month

When the website launches, you will see that our recipes are rated.  The most involved recipes are called “therapeutic.” These are the type of recipes that you can turn on a little music and spend part of an afternoon just cooking.  It’s a way to relax, enjoy your time to yourself and come away with that perfectly satisfying edible project.  Here is one we know you’ll love.

Soft Pretzels

1tablespoon sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
Course salt, as needed
4 quarts water
1/4 cup baking soda

Stir together sugar, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105 to 110�F) in a glass measuring cup, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
Whisk together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon table salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Dust work surface with 1 tablespoon flour, then turn out dough and knead, gradually dusting with just enough additional flour to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes. (Dough needs to be somewhat sticky to facilitate rolling and forming into pretzels).

Return dough to bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll 1 piece back and forth on a clean dry work surface into a rope about 24 inches long. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour. Twist dough into a pretzel shape. (Dough will retract as you form the pretzel.)

Transfer pretzel with your hands to an oiled baking sheet and form 7 more pretzels in same manner with remaining dough, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.

Let pretzels stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425�F. Bring 4 quarts of water and 1/4 cup baking soda to a boil.

Using both hands, carefully add 3 pretzels, 1 at a time, to boiling water and cook, turning over once with tongs, until pretzels are puffed and shape is set, about 2 minutes. Transfer parboiled pretzels to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining 5 pretzels in 2 batches.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and oil paper, then arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush pretzels lightly with some of egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve warm with your choice of condiments.  We like good old ballpark mustard!