Roasted Romanesco with Pine Nut, Anchovy and Date Dressing
- 3 - 4 small Romanesco, about 2 pounds total, tough stem ends trimmed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- Flaked sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 3 medjool dates, pitted and mashed to a paste
- 3 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste
- 2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste
- Zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Heat oven to 425. Toss Romanesco with two tablespoons olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange in a heavy bottomed skillet or small roasting pan and roast until golden brown, on the cusp of being slightly burned, about 30 minutes.
Carefully toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over a low flame, shaking pan so nuts brown more or less evenly, to just golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Return skillet to low heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and mashed dates, anchovies and garlic. Cook, stirring until, paste just begins to caramelize and sizzle all at once, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in zest, vinegar and reserved nuts. If mixture seems too thick or dry add a squeeze of juice from zested orange. Pour dressing over roasted Romanesco and serve immediately.