Roasted Romanesco Buddah Bowl

Partial view of two roasted romanesco buddha bowls.

5 from 1 vote

Roasted Romanesco Buddah Bowl

There’s something deeply satisfying about a well-balanced bowl of delicious, yet nourishing homemade food. This roasted romanesco buddha bowl is an autumn celebration of colour, texture and flavour. It's a vibrant mix of creamy beans, fluffy fonio, umami romanesco, a sharp carrot salad, pungent pickles and crunchy walnuts.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: bowl food, carrots, fonio, romanesco, sauce, white beans

Servings: people

Calories: 741kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

Ingredients

Carrot Salad

1 carrot scrubbed but skin left
1 spring onion (scallion) finely sliced, or use a few snipped chives
20 g raisins
fresh parsley small bunch, roughly chopped
½ lemon juiced

Roasted Romanesco

1 head romanesco cut into small florets
1 tsp chilli flakes mild, medium or hot
1 organic lemon zested (juice used in other parts of recipe)
1 pinch fine sea salt
good grinding of black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

White Bean Aioli

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic peeled
2 sprig fresh rosemary
3 sprig fresh thyme
200 g cooked white beans drained weight
1 tsp English mustard
½ lemon juiced
sea salt to taste
good grinding of black pepper

Remaining Ingredients

90 g fonio swap for 100g quinoa
pickled red onion slices swap for pickled beetroot
25 g walnuts toasted until crunchy, but not browned - roughly chopped

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Carrot Salad

Coarsely grate the carrot, then mix with the remaining ingredients and set aside to marinate.
1 carrot, 1 spring onion (scallion), 20 g raisins, fresh parsley, ½ lemon

Roasted Romanesco

Set the oven to 190℃ (170℃ fan, 375℉, Gas 5).
Place the romanesco florets in a large bowl. Finely grate in the lemon zest, then add the chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and give everything a good mix so the florets are coated all over with both spices and oil.
1 head romanesco, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 organic lemon, 1 pinch fine sea salt, good grinding of black pepper, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
In a large roasting tray, lay the florets out in a single layer. You may want to line the tray with baking paper first to make clean up easier.
Place the tray in the top half of the oven and roast for ten minutes. Turn the florets over and roast for a further ten minutes. Test for doneness with a knife. They should be tender but only slightly charred. Give them another five minutes, if needed.

White Bean Aioli

Meanwhile, in a lidded pan, sauté the garlic and herbs in the olive oil over a gently heat. Cook for fifteen minutes or until the garlic is soft and slightly golden, but not brown.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 sprig fresh rosemary, 3 sprig fresh thyme
Remove the herb sprigs, then pour the oil into a small food processor along with the garlic. Add the remaining white bean ingredients and blitz until you have a loose aioli type consistency. If the mix is too stiff add a tablespoon or two of warm water.
200 g cooked white beans, sea salt, good grinding of black pepper, 1 tsp English mustard

Fonio

Whilst the garlic and romanesco are cooking, place the fonio in a small lidded pan along with 250 ml water. With the lid on, bring the water to the boil, then turn the heat right down to your stove's lowest setting. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn the heat off, but leave the pan in situ to steam for a further 2-3 minutes.
90 g fonio
Fluff up with a fork before serving.

Buddha Bowls

As soon as the romanesco is ready and whilst it and the fonio are still hot, construct you buddha bowls. Divide the fonio between two wide shallow bowls, followed by the white bean aioli and then the romanesco. Pile on the carrot salad, add a few red onion pickles then scatter over the toasted nuts.
pickled red onion slices, 25 g walnuts

Notes

How much salt you add to the white beans depends on weather the beans are ready salted or not. I used jarred beans which are already quite salty and along with the mustard, I found I didn't need to add any extra.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition