An easy lunch or supper from Thomasina Miers which i think would also work very well with some purple sprouting broccoli. She also suggests nettles or wild garlic as alternatives to use in the spring. Serve with a green salad dressed in a sharp vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- a knob of butter
- 120 g grated pecorino or parmesan plus extra for sprinkling, or a mix of both
- 1 small romanesco core removed and broken into florets, about 600g; or normal broccoli or cauliflower
- 4 eggs separated
- 300 ml double cream
- ¼ nutmeg finely grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Servings:
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6 and rub the butter around a one-litre baking dish. Scatter over a tablespoon of the grated cheese and shake around the dish to coat.
- Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and blanch the romanesco for four to five minutes, until just tender, then drain and leave to steam dry for five minutes. Once dry, finely chop and transfer to a bowl.
- Beat the egg yolks and cream in another bowl until slightly thickened, then stir in the remaining cheese, nutmeg and chopped romanesco, and season well. In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Stir two tablespoons of the egg whites into the romanesco mix and, once incorporated, carefully fold in the rest, taking care not to over-mix and knock out most of the air.
- Tip into the baking dish so the mix comes right up to the rim, dust with a little extra cheese, and bake for 30-35 minutes (but check after 25 or so minutes; you don’t want it to take on too much colour) – when cooked, the sformata should have a slight wobble in the centre and a golden top.
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