Simple is best, apparently. We were more than happy to take the advice of Mike Osborn at Sosio’s Produce, where we bought our broccoli romanesco, and cook it up simply as follows. We did add maitake mushrooms (my husband’s favorite) and sliced chicken breast, but this would be an easy recipe to take veg — in fact, maitakes are also known as “hen of the woods” for their flavor. The real star was, of course, the broccoli romanesco, which turned out perfectly tender, with a sort of hybrid cauliflower/broccoli taste, only sweeter, and with the best textures of both. A note that if you plan to make the veggies the main dish, I recommend doubling the recipe — this was so tasty, we could have eaten double the veggies even as part of a larger meal. — Mary T. Click for the broccoli romanesco recipe!

broccoli romanesco with maitake mushrooms and chicken
Serves two as a side; double recipe for hearty appetites or to make veggies the main course
large head of broccoli romanesco, chopped or broken into florets
1/2 large shallot, chopped
I large bunch maitake mushrooms, separated from main stem
olive oil
two boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
fresh grated parmesan (optional)

Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Bake in a lightly oiled pan at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes to seal in juices. Set cooked chicken aside in fridge while you saute vegetables.

Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Saute shallots until just tender. Add broccoli romanesco florets to shallots and saute until crisp-tender. Remove broccoli romanesco from skillet and set aside in medium-size casserole dish (about 9″x9″). Add mushrooms to skillet and saute in remaining oil until just tender, then add to casserole dish. Put casserole dish in oven at 400 for about 20 minutes (check after ten — you may want to cook a little less to taste). Just before vegetables are ready to serve, cut baked chicken into thin slices and warm in skillet. Sprinkle vegetables with parmesan before serving.