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FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Romanesco Broccoli

romanesco

My old chef Andy put me in charge of making a risotto special that constantly changed with whatever his crazy connections would provide us. That was the first time I cooked with romanesco, or ate it for that matter. Sure you can put romanesco in risotto, and that’s how I first cooked it, but it’s much better on it’s own, simply sautéed, which will allow you to appreciate it. What’s so great about romanesco? besides being the most beautiful vegetable ever, it’s delicious. (Also, if you like broccoli-esque things, make sure to check out broccoli leaves and spigariello). 

The spirals and designs are also a perfect example of the fibonacci mathematical sequence. Looking closely, you can see that each floret is made up of another small floret, that is made up of another small floret. The sequence will create a sort of swirl pattern, a natural sort of logarithm.

I’ll be honest, it is a bit difficult to come by this in Minnesota, and their season is pretty short. If you want to get ahold of some, keep your fingers on the pulse of the farmer’s markets, especially the best farmers market in the twin cities, which is the one in Lowertown St. Paul.

Unlike Minneapolis farmer’s markets, the St. Paul one doesn’t allow mainline purveyors to sell their wares. This means you won’t be confused by seeing things like bananas and pineapple, as these, last time I checked are not locally grown in Minnesota. Our local farmers should not have to compete with the economies of scale used by mainline corporate food dealers. Nuff said though, lest I get riled up.

Cooking

Romanesco can be cooked just like cauliflower. Simply trim the florets and cook. It is fun to play around with different ways of preparing it though. Here are a couple different ways you might try trimming, cutting and cooking it:

Basic

  • Trim into large florets, then peel the stems and saute whole

Vegetarian or Vegan romanesco “steak”

  • Cut romanesco into large wedges and cook like a vegetarian piece of meat

Whole baked romanesco

  • Remove the inner core and blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, then top with a cheese sauce and bake whole until golden brown, a stunning side

Pickled

  • Cover romanesco florets in a cold pickling brine and cure for a month or two, they will lose their color a bit, but their texture and crunch will be there

Marinated raw

  • Slice the florets into thin slices and then marinate with some oil, salt and pepper, a couple grates of lemon zest, and a chilli flake or two, and perhaps some mint, let the whole thing sit for 30 minutes and then eat as a side, maybe with some grated cheese

 

 

How not to cook

I would have never thought of this, but last year I was witness to a horrible crime. We had some interns or something playing around making soup. In the cooler was a ton of romanesco. I have found that my coworkers and I have a tendency to hoard it, everyone wants to use it and throw it on a different place on the menu. When I came into work one day, to my horror I saw a new soup had been created: “Pureed cream of romanesco”, which is pretty much the only way you can screw up.

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  1. Cooking with Broccoli Leaves says:
    December 10, 2020 at 9:53 am

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FORAGER | CHEF®
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Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
Had a blast on the last day of the @wild.fed shoot Had a blast on the last day of the @wild.fed shoot cooking in the Garden of Eden, a.k.a Sam Thayer’s orchard. 

We’d planned on making ground squirrel, bullfrog and crayfish gumbo but only the crayfish came through. Luckily I had some back up andouille just in case. 

It’s may not be traditional, but gumbo with crayfish broth, a heap of @mushroomforaginginmn porcini, milkweed pods (in lieu of okra) wild rice and crayfish-chanterelle salad didn’t suck. 6 of us polished off a gallon 😁.

H/o to chef Lenny Russo who I pestered with questions on frog-based foods beforehand. Hyper-local meals like this are what we made at Heartland in St Paul during my tenure there. 

@danielvitalis 
@grantguiliano 

#ditchlobster #mudbugs #gumbo #crayfish #wildrice #wildfed
Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water by hand with Sam Thayer and @danielvitalis for @wild.fed 

Daniel and Sam were the apex predators, but I got a few. 

Without a net catching crayfish by hand is definitely a wax-on wax-off sort of skill. Clears your mind. 

They’re going into gumbo with porcini, sausage and milkweed pods today. 

#crayfish #ninjareflexes #waxonwaxoff #normalthings #onset🎥🎬
Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizo Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizomes and blueberries for this weeks shoot with @wildfed 

Been a few years since I worked with these. Thankfully Sam Thayer dropped a couple off for me to work with. They’re tender, crisp and delicious. 

Sam mentioned their mild flavor and texture could be because they don’t have to worry about predators eating them, since they grow in the muck of cattail marshes. 

I think they could use a pet name. Pond tusk? Swamp spears? Help me out here. 😂

Nature makes the coolest things. 

#itcamefromthepond #cattail #rhizomes #foraging #typhalatifolia
I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so much we filmed it instead of the original dish I’d planned. 

Cooked natural wild rice (not the black shiny stuff) is great hot, cold, sweet or savory. It’s a perfect, filling lunch for a long day of berry picking. 

I make them with whatever I have on hand. Mushrooms will fade into the background a little here, so I use a bunch of them, along with lots of herbs and hickory nut oil + dill flowers. 

I’m eating the leftovers today back up in the barrens (hopefully) getting some more bluebs for another shoot this week w @wild.fed 

#wilwilwice #wildrice #chanterelles #campfood #castironcooking
Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine Baby’s first homegrown mushrooms! Backyard wine caps on hardwood sawdust from my lumberjack buddy.

Next up blewits. Spawn from @northsporemushrooms

#winecaps #strophariaaeruginosa #allthemushroomtags
It’s wild cherry season. I’ll be picking from It’s wild cherry season. I’ll be picking from my favorite spot tomorrow a.m. and have room for a couple helpers. It’s at an event on a farm just south of St. Cloud. 

If you’re interested send me a message and I’ll raffle off the spots. Plenty of cherries to go around. I’ll be leading a short plant walk around the farm too. 

#chokecherries #foraging #prunusvirginiana #summervibes
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