The best romanesco dish is teeming with Sicilian flavors
LA TimesIn my mind, the seasons at the farmers market aren’t really defined by the calendar; they are marked by what I like to obsess over for months at a time. It usually goes something We’ve just begun that last “season,” so my mind is fixated on all the colorful crucifers and various knobby roots that dominate the winter market. To do that, I cut a head through its core into six large wedges so I have manageable pieces with two flat sides and a third side full of the vegetable’s peaks and valleys. Inspired by the island’s classic pasta con le sarde, I mix pine nuts, golden raisins and the tiniest pinch of saffron — ingredients that speak to Sicily’s history of trade with nearby North Africa — with browned shallots and sardines into a pungent red gravy. Since the sardines are the focus of the sauce, buy the highest-quality tinned version you can find — La Brujula are my favorite, but Crown Prince’s “natural” sardines packed in olive oil are a great grocery store brand.
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