But the most talked about cool weather crop has been the Romanesco (see photo above). From the moment the pointy little chartreuse head burst into view, it stood out as something different and awe-inspiring.

“Look at this!”
“What is it?”
“Can I touch it?”
“Are we going to eat it?”
“I may not like it.”
“Can I touch it again?”

That kind of energy in response to a vegetable makes my heart sing. And now that I’ve learned a little about The Science of Awe, I’ve moved the Romanesco to the top of my “must grow” list.  

According to awe scientists, connecting with nature is one of the best ways to experience awe, which has been found to shift our attention away from ourselves, make us feel like we are part of something greater than ourselves, and make us more generous toward others.

 

Of particular relevance here is the finding by physicist Richard Taylor and environmental psychologist Caroline Hägerhäll that observing fractals in nature has a soothing effect on the brain. (Fractals: the Atlantic)

After several weeks of ooh-ing and aah-ing about its weird shape and watching it grow, we finally harvested our big Romanesco and made quesadillas (see recipe below).

This week, we’re watching one more Romanesco that’s almost ready to harvest. Meanwhile, I’ve noted on my Au-gust calendar to “start Romanesco seeds for the fall garden.”

 

Next fall, I hope to have more than a dozen heads of Romanesco growing in the school garden. Won’t that be something awesome to talk about.❦

                                                                                                                    photo: Renee Studebaker
   Romanesco, Kale and Black Bean Quesadillas

1/2 head of Romanesco*
About 15 stalks of Lacinato kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp tamari sauce
1-2 tsp Yellow Bird serrano sauce  (or your favorite green hot sauce)
Juice of 1 mandarin orange
2 tbsp black beans (cooked and rinsed)
3 tbsp grated monterey jack**
6 corn tortillas

Remove stems and central ribs from kale and slice leaves into thin strips. Cut Romanesco into quarters and slice florets and stems into thin pieces.

 

Add oil to large skillet over medium high heat. Add Romanesco, onion, pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until tender crisp and lightly browned.

 

Stir in tamari, hot sauce, and orange juice; then add kale, cilantro and beans and sauté a few minutes more until kale is wilted and lightly caramelized. Remove kale mixture from heat.

 

Place 3 tortillas on a dry griddle (or large cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Spread generous portion of kale mixture on each tortilla, top each with 1 tbsp cheese (see note below), and place other 3 tortillas on top.

 

Cook until cheese is melted and bottom tortilla is lightly browned. Using a large spatula carefully turn each quesadilla and lightly brown the other side. Remove to a cutting board and slice quesadillas into wedges.

* White cauliflower can be substituted for Romanesco.
** For a vegan version, leave out the cheese. The slightly nutty, mild flavor of cooked Romanesco is a pretty good cheese replacement all by itself. Or try cashew cheese. ❦