Cilantro Noodle Bowl Recipe
This zesty, cilantro-centric soba noodle bowl features a hefty dose of the green stuff, pan-toasted tofu, and plenty of vegetables.
How many times have you gone out, purchased a big, bushy bouquet of cilantro, torn off a small handful to use in whatever creation you were focused on at that moment, then shoved the rest of the cilantro into some neglected corner of your refrigerator? Yeah, me too. It happens more often than I would like to admit. I brought a particularly vibrant, dare I say perky, bunch of cilantro home the other day and promised myself to use it. All of it. This zesty, cilantro-centric soba noodle bowl features a hefty dose of the green stuff, pan-toasted tofu, and plenty of vegetables.
A few other ideas that come to mind - an alternative version might feature brown rice in place of the soba noodles. I like a bit of kick along with my cilantro, and next time I make try some chopped serrano chile in place of the cayenne. You could do soba noodle patties and use the cilantro dressing as a dipping sauce. Other ideas? Throw them into the comment ring.
I'm finally back from traveling (at least for a while) and looking forward to being back in my own kitchen. I was on the east coast for the past five days for a wedding, and in the same shot spent a day with one of my best friends from high school who now lives outside Philadelphia. Lots and lots to share with you inspired by these recent trips.
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Cilantro Noodle Bowl Recipe
For those of you who aren't familiar with baby Romanesco, you can see it in the second photo in this post. Feel free to substitute any other (lightly cooked) vegetable you prefer - many will work well with the buckwheat and cilantro.
8 ounces dried soba noodles
2 - 3 cups baby Romanesco or broccoli florets
zest of one lemon
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
scant 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
Cook the soba in a big pot of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender - but about 20 seconds before the pasta is done cooking add the Romanesco (or broccoli) to the pot. You want it to barely cook. Now drain and rinse under cold running water. Sprinkle with lemon zest and set aside.
In the meantime make the dressing by combining the cilantro, garlic, cayenne, salt, and olive oil. Blend in a food processor or chop by hand. Taste, adjust for more salt if needed and set aside.
Drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (1/2 inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Remove from skillet, let cool a bit and if desired cut into matchsticks (as seen in the photo), sometimes I don't bother and use larger pieces instead.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, Romanesco and a couple big splashes of the cilantro dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and gently toss again, add more dressing and a couple pinches of salt if needed. Turn out onto platter and crown with a couple pinches of cayenne and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Serves about 4 - 6.
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I made this recipe last night, substituting broccoli and using red rice instead of the soba. I found it a little too bland for me … so for lunch today, I blended some avocado into the cilantro dressing – I thought it was an improvement. Thanks for keeping the innovative recipes coming!
I LOVE the fresh taste and smell of cilantro but can never seem to use it fast enough. As J T mentioned, standing the stalks in a glass of water in the fridge keeps the bunch fresh longer, especially if you put a plastic bag over it (glass and all). Change the water as it becomes murky; this also works with fresh-cut basil & mint.
Or better yet – just make this recipe. 🙂
I saw noticed this recipe the first day it was posted. I made it later that evening, I already had everything except the romanesco. I used broccoli instead. I also substituted whole wheat udon noodles for soba noodles. The udon noodles really hold the sauce well. I have made this recipe 3 times in nearly 2 weeks. Its so quick, so easy, and so so tasty. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. You have changed the way I eat, I’m a huge fan of 101 cookbooks.
I’ve never browned tofu without frying it in oil. I’m curious to see how this works out!
This looks great, and I can’t wait to try it!
Another way to use a lot of cilantro is to make an asian-inspired peanut coleslaw. I thinly slice red and green cabbage, add my favorite spicy peanut sauce recipe (not a very thick one, though), and add tons of cilantro. The spicier and more garlicky the peanut sauce, the more cilantro the recipe can handle. I also add a fair amount of crushed peanuts for texture.
I like to combine 1c cilantro, 2c cooked rice, a large chopped tomato, 1/2c sliced almonds, 1 large chopped onion, a couple of cloves garlic chopped, & a couple of hot green chilies chopped (or sometimes green chili sauce) – once this is all mixed together I stuff 4 bell peppers and bake at 350f till the peppers are soft (about 20-30 mins). I sometimes also add sliced okra when it’s in season – mmmmmgood…
try making pesto with the remaining cilantro. use lemon, a hot chile or two, oil and garlic. don’t use cheese or nuts. takes away from it. i also have made parsley pesto with all traditional ingredients. YUMMY
That is *exactly* what happens to my cilantro, much of the time — this recipe looks delicious, and those Romanesco florets are beauty defined!
I can’t wait to try this! Cilantro is definitely one of my favorite things and I love soba noodles!
I was told by a friend that cilantro is ‘Catnip for adults!’ So true! I love it in my pico de gallo.
Chuckle. Reminds me of something a friend told me about cilantro. Another friend told her that ‘Cilantro is catnip for adults!’
So true! We go ape for it whenever we taste it in a dish, especially pico de gallo. I love it in that. I make some really good pico!
Try making chimichuri sauce with the cilantro. While most chimichuri calls for parsley, if you’re a cilantro lover you’ll enjoy this change in the Argentine recipe.
Argentines also make something like a pesto of cilantro called pebre. Either the chimichuri or the pebre could be made and frozen.
*knock on wood*, I haven’t wasted too much cilantro, yet. I eat it at least once a day, in soups, springrolls and salads. But what helps me keep my cilantro fresher is holding all the stems in a bowl full of water, then making a fresh cut on the stems (scissors) while they are submerged. I let them soak up water for about 5 minutes, then rinse the leaves, shake off excess water and wrap them in a paper towel. I then put the paper towel wrapped cilantro in a plastic bag, then into the fridge. They last for about a week, without too much loss of leaves to yellowing or browning.
I love the liberal addition of 2 cups of cilantro in your delicious recipe. This is definitely a cilantro bowl!
You can stand the cilantro in a cup of water and keep it in the fridge. It stays
fresh for a few weeks that way.
I usually don’t waste any cilantro.
I’ll throw it directly in the freezer and use the rest at a later date. It does become a mush, but if cut up well enough while still frozen and using it in a cooked meal, it tastes fantastic! I do this for ALL of my herbs. They keep for a long time that way.
Yum Yum!
I made this the day you posted it and it was great. The cilantro at the Farmer’s Market by me is always huge and fragrant (and 49 cents a bunch!), but I still couldn’t find the Romanesco, so I used broccoli but it was scrumptious! I have made so many of your dishes, and this is one of my favorites: not only is it tasty but it is fast and a breeze to clean up after. I try really hard to make as many “one dish” meals as I can. (I cook, and my boyfriend does the dishes, so I like to go easy on him)
This sounds great. I wonder how it would come out using Shirataki noodles and a little leftover crab. Yummy!
I’m always envious when I see recipes with Romanesco. I can’t seem to find it around here, even though Chicago is a big food market.
Lately I’ve taken to finely chopping and then freezing my excess cilantro in ice cube trays. It holds up fairly well to freezing if you intend to use it for future cooked (hot) dishes, like cilantro in chicken tortilla soup.
If using fresh, there is always cilantro pesto (I like it with peanuts as the nut) or as a garnish in Pho soup.
I’m always envious when I see recipes with Romanesco. I can’t seem to find it around here, even though Chicago is a big food market.
Lately I’ve taken to finely chopping and then freezing my excess cilantro in ice cube trays. It holds up fairly well to freezing if you intend to use it for future cooked (hot) dishes, like cilantro in chicken tortilla soup.
If using fresh, there is always cilantro pesto (I like it with peanuts as the nut) or as a garnish in Pho soup.
I accidentally bumped into this website two months ago and have made a few recipes. I saw this one and made it last night. I did change a few things seing I didn’t have the soba pasta or the Romanesco so I just wheat pasta with brocolli. This recipe was very easy to make. When I made the cilantro sauce it smelled very good. BUT, I didn’t like the final product. Maybe I did something wrong. I found it to oily and a bit tasteless. Maybe next time I’ll try it with the right ingredients. But I do love your website and the recipes I’ve done before. Just not this one.
I’ve not tried it (yet), but what about making some sort of cilantro pesto with the extras and freezing it in ice cube trays-similar to basil pesto? The cubes could then be added to soups,or thawed for sauces and dressings. If someone tries it, please let me know your results.
Hello!! My first post anywhere….
Here’s a great thing to do with your leftover cilantro. just in case you don’t like to use it as a garnish – blend one onion, all the washed and drained cilantro, one green chilli and salt as per taste. Store in refrigerator and use as a base spread in your sandwiches. Tastes totally YUM!!!! and so fresh….
At first glance I really thought it was Broccoli. Then yet again it’s Cilantro. I think being resourceful is a good trait. Not neglecting the food remains on your refrigerator.
http://www.foodista.com
This looks absolutely beautiful.
And I bet it’s delicious, too!
I put a bit of water in the cilantro, put it into an ice cube tray, freeze and put the cubes into a ziplock. Just put a few cubes into any recipe..
I also hate to waste cilantro. Another way to use it is to throw it in green smoothies (orange juice, banana, pineapple, big wad of cilantro, maybe some spinach). Delicious! (Credit to raw foodist Victoria Boutenko for the green smoothie concept)
Finally, a way to use up not only cilantro, but all the soba noodles sitting in my cupboard. I will try making this with broccoli, probably; I’ve never seen Romanesco in any of the markets I frequent.
I like the use of the romanesco in your recipe. Here in Italy we usually have it raw, just thinly chopped and seasoned with olive oil, lemon and salt, or cooked in various ways: boiled and then sautéed in a pan with olive oil (“broccoli strascinati) or fried in a batter, or used for soups and minestrone.
Delicious looking salad…Yum…On days when I go crazy seeing those beautiful bunches in the store, I just wash ’em, grind it into a fine paste and store it in the freezer. A small amount of this paste in any dish goes a long way and imparts a vibrant color and flavor to the dish.
I was so entranced by the picture of the romanesco, I had to keep reading. I so relate to the pile of cilantro shoved in the back of the fridge. Thanks for the great idea on how to use it all up!
Beautiful photos. I love cilantro, and bet this would be delicious!
I added a jalapeno and fresh ginger to the garlic in the food processor before adding the oil, cayenne, salt. Also used lime juice in the dressing instead of lemon zest and topped with scallions and toasted sesame – just finished it off for lunch – delicious. Thanks Heidi!
Oh, this looks absolutely splendid! How I wish I could get a hold of some romanesco here in Orlando. There’s only one restaurant (Primo – it’s fabulous!) that carries it seasonally out of their own garden. This is one more reason I should consider greening up my thumb and starting one of my own!
I am always a little unsure about this: when measuring fresh herbs, do you measure the chopped amount or the whole leaves? Thanks in advance!
I second (or third or fourth!) the cilantro pesto. I add some jalapeno pepper to the puree and use it on a Mexican pizza with black beans, chopped tomatoes, and onions. Yummy!
A good way to preserve cilantro for a longer time is to wrap it in dry paper towel sheets and store in the fridge… I generally purchase the frozen cilantro from Trader Joe’s which is frozen into teaspoon aliquots. BTW… the noodles look yummm!!
Betsy!
Have you seen Jessica Seinfeld’s recipes for sneaking veggies into food kids love–Mac & cheese, chicken nuggets and more
http://www.projectfoodie.com/index2.php?option=com_pfrecipetracker&action=source&id=367&year=2007
Although I love the nutty flavor of soba noodles, I can never figure out what to do with them. Thanks for the inspired idea!
I also second pesto as an excellent home for neglected cilantro–my mom makes an excellent cilantro pesto/chutney with peanuts and serrano peppers
I have a recipe that we came up with to use leftover cilantro that has now become a favorite! Sautee chopped chicken breasts with chopped garlic in a little extra olive oil. Use the extra olive oil as a base for the sauce and once fully cooked at a generous splash of tarragon vinegar. Toss with noodles. Add 2 cups of chopped cilantro right before serving and toss again. Yummy!
Hi I’ve never tried baby romanesco before, to be honest ive never even seen it before! is this odd or they just dont sell it here in England? Anyhow, the noodle bowl looks cool and effortless like your usual cooking Heidi:-)
X M
an interesting dish you have here! First time Ive seen a romanesco! thanks for sharing this
I made this dish last night and felt a real sense of accomplishment for using the entire bunch of cilantro that I purchased. There is a lot room for substitutions and/or additions to this dish. I could make this over and over again.
I had this for a late supper last night; it was absolutely perfect. Exactly what my belly wanted. Thank you!!
Two things I like about dishes like this:
1. The logarithmic spiral of the romanesco.
2. Adding grated nutmeg.
http://www.teaandfood.blogspot.com
If you’re looking for more recipes with cilantro, I HIGHLY recommend Pioneer Woman’s Noodle Salad and Pinch My Salt’s chickpea soup. I’m always in that situation, so I’ve found a few recipes I love to make to use up extra cilantro.
Just bought some soba today (mommy, can we have the noodles with the ice cubes?)
Re: Travel and food, we just returned from a month in Vancouver BC and I got two great cookbooks you’d love if you don’t already have them. They both seem indicative of the fresh, healthy food that was our favorite while we were there.
Rebar Modern Food: which is a great cafe we visited in Victoria, BC
http://www.rebarmodernfood.com/cookbook.html
Refresh: From the award winning Fresh restaurants in Toronto, we have not been there, but I love the vegan/vegetarian cookbook
http://cookingresources.suite101.com/article.cfm/refresh_vegan_cookbook
HS: Thanks for the tips Yvette. The Rebar cookbook is an old favorite of mine! Glad you picked up a copy 🙂 I suspect you won’t be disappointed.
I had a huge bunch of cilantro from our csa on hand so made this for tonight’s dinner. YUM!!! I didn’t have romanesco, so substituted orange cauliflower fresh from our garden and it was amazing. also added some red peppers oh and i served it with brown rice. i guess i deviated from the original recipe quite a bit. i have some leftover sauce which i plan on splashing into some soup i’m planning for tomorrow’s dinner. THANKS for the recipe!!!!!
The recipe sounds wonderful. How about drizzling on some chili oil at finish?
I love cilantro, it has the best smell.
It’s a love or hate thing w/ most people.
It is my favorite herb, and I know what you mean, it is always found at the bottom of the vegetable bin, unused, sad and wilted.
Betsy-
for your grandkids- you will win big points with peanut butter playdough. Combine a tablespoon or two of peanut butter with a drizzle of honey and then mix in enough dried milk that it is playdough consistency and not too sticky anymore (try not to make it dry, though).
Otherwise, try what you’d ordinarily eat, but avoid really strong flavors or too many veggies in something. If you make pasta like this one, don’t put the veggies on top but serve separately so you can top it with something simpler if the kids try the veggies and decide they don’t like it. But you should ask them to try first! I didn’t eat any veggies until two years ago because I stopped trying them at age seven…now I eat mostly vegetables.
Wow, those are some huge cilantro.
Loved this recipe as soba noodles are on my favored foods list. However what was most reassuring was to read of others, like myself who cannot tolerate “that” herb. It literally makes my skin crawl and makes me nauseous. Italian parsley, I think, would make a good substitute for me.
This sounds really good. Cilantro is one of those herbs that can be overpowering at times.
Our farmers’ market hasn’t had Romanesco yet this season (growing season in Wisconsin is shorter than Calif). I’ve bought the ‘adult-size’ Romanesco and used it for a center-piece for a dinner party once before I cooked it.
Said, thanks for the cilantro pesto recipe. It sounds good.
My daughter and grand kids are moving to town. I need kid-friendly recipes for 7 and 8 year olds who prefer mac and cheese from a box, PB&J, maybe a carrot, corn on the cob, bananas and grapes and mac donalds or chicken tenders and chicken. My grandson won’t eat cheese but will eat mac and cheese. I’d love to try to expand the repertoire, but I still want to be grandma. Maybe I should just keep big jars of PB&J around for them to make their own meal if they don’t like what I serve. Suggestions from everyone are welcome.
Cilantro, my old nemesis, we meet again…
If something’s been flavored with cilantro, I can usually eat and enjoy it, but if the cilantro is still IN the dish, I find the taste extremely unpleasant and so strong that I am unable to even taste the other ingredients 🙁
I wish I did enjoy it, or at least tolerate it, because its such a frequent ingredient in recipes that otherwise look delicious to me. But, alas, since it is lurking in so many dishes out there, I find myself sampling it fairly often and always with the same reaction: ick!
How weird! I have this exact problem (lots of leftover cilantro) right now. You read my mind, Heidi!
Unfortunately, I don’t have any of the other ingredients in my house. 🙁
I make a cilantro pesto that’s good enough to eat with a spoon by itself. It’s 1/4 c. of silvered almonds, toasted; 1 1/2 c. cilantro leaves; 1 jalapeno pepper pepper, seeded & coarsely chopped, 3 cloves garlic, crushed & peeled, 1/2 t. sea salt; 2 T. olive oil; 1 T. fresh lime juice, 1/4 t. fresh ground pepper.
Combine all the ingredients, except olive oil & lime juice, in a food processor until finely chopped. With motor running add olive oil & lime juice until mixture forms a paste. Delicious on pasta, or served with chicken…or out of the spoon.
This looks Soooooo delicious!! I’ve never seen Romanesco before, but it looks like an interesting new vegetable to try. As always, thanks for the beautifully photographed and delicious recipes!
This looks Soooooo delicious!!
Yes, I have many times shoved the leftover cilantro into the bottom of the veggie bin for it to never be found again. At least until it has become a science experiment.
The recipe looks awesome, thank!
Freezing veggies and herbs saves me! Slightly wilted spinach, cilantro, asparagus, basil and stale bread for crumbing (easier to cut small when frozen + no mold) are sharing space in my freezer as we speak, awaiting usefulness.
If you freeze herbs with a little oil they also serve as instant dressings-last night I made almost this same dish, but with basil and potatoes instead of cilantro and noodles, from the market and my frozen herb supply.
By the way, never dry cilantro, basil, or parsely if you can help it. Their flavor fades drastically when dried, I believe because they are water based flavors, but in the freezer they’ll retain flavor for a long time. I’d caution you to label -I can keep up with about 4 or 5 baggies, but leaves are not easily identifiable when frozen.
I also freeze my leftover herbs. It works fabulous with thyme and bay. With delicate herbs like oregano, cilantro and parsley; I wash it, let it dry completely, then chop it and freeze in foil. It works well for cooked dishes, like soup or casseroles.
The timing of this recipe is perfect! I had planned to do a somewhat similar dish for tonight’s dinner using broccoli, soba noodles, lots of garlic, cayenne and white beans. In rummaging through the refrigerator earlier today, I noticed a big bunch of cilantro from our CSA that was still ok but needed to be used soon.
With your recipe and a few tweaks to my original game plan, the forgotten cilantro will be spared the fate of finding itself in our compost bucket!
Thanks, Heidi!
Cilantro…I bought several packets of the tulle bags you can get for wedding favors and about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, parsley or any other fresh herb fits into them. Pull the drawstring closed and toss into the crisper…if you have many different kinds label them. After a few weeks they dry out by themselves and you can bag them up and put them in the cupboard. Voila! About 1/2 tablespoon of dried herbs. They can then be addes to any recipe with out waste, a bit labor intensive but it works for me.
Snowmeg:
Google “mint chutney recipe” and you’ll find plenty of hits.
Snowmeg:
Google “mint chutney recipe” and you’ll find plenty of hits.
I love cilantro, I love that it bridges so many ethnic cuisines. Does anyone know how to make the cilantro dipping sauce that you often get with the crispy lentil wafers in Indian restaurants? I have tried to make it but with no success.
cilantro pesto!
I love it! I put a bunch of cilantro in the blender with a head of roasted garlic, some salt, lime juice and olive oil–enough to make it possible to puree. It’s great on sandwiches, as well as pasta, etc
This looks great!! however Cilantro makes me gag, I am one of those that can’t tolerate the taste of it. Is there any other substitue? I would love to know because there are so many recipes that call for cilantro that I would love to try, but when cilantro is a main ingredient, I hate to “ruin” the dish.
When I buy a big bunch of cilantro and have a load left over i like to make an asian pesto out of it for the freezer – which i freeze in ice cube trays. the ingredients are cilantro, toasted peanuts, oil, garlic, ginger and depending how i am feeling, chili. (no cheese!). if i have parsley around that goes in too. these cubes can be used on anything you like, noodles or thrown in at the end of a stir fry as it adds a nice freshness.
We grew Romanesco in our garden for the first time this year. It is a variety of cauliflower and has a similar taste. And you can’t beat its unique (dare I say beautiful?) appearance. We will definitely grow it again!
Use your cilantro pesto on polenta that you’ve combined with pepper jack cheese.
Or on your a.m. scrambled eggs. Or in a quesadilla, a mexican lasagna,swirled into a southwest style soup, atop a bowl of refried beans, or mixed in with rice to create a green rice. Go crazy, it is wonderful stuff!
My mother-in-law is Indian and buys unspeakable quantities of cilantro cheap from the Indian grocery then chops it all finely and sticks it in the freezer. It’s not great for fresh salads this way, but works well if cooking it into something else. I have to confess, though (don’t tell her…) I did this and the poor old cilantro made it’s way to the back of my freezer and lived there for about 2 years before I finally threw it away. But I did feel a little less guilty for at least making the effort.
Thanks for the recipe…looks delicious!
if the cilantro/parsley/random fresh herbs are in too big of a bunch to use up straight away, you can always just freeze them (pre-chopped like a commenter above mentioned, or just pop the bunch in a bag and put the bag in a freezer).
I love cilantro and am really excited about your suggestion of noodle patties with the cilantro sauce as a dip! By the way, I made your raspberry mega scones this weekend, they were superb – even the picky guys at work loved the whole wheat scone dough!
Oooooh, this looks great! I have the same issues w/cilantro. Unless I am making a huge batch of salsa fresca, guacamole, or maybe some cilantro pesto, I just don’t know what else to do with it (though it adds a nice zip to salads). I have a cat who likes to eat it, but he lives with my mom in San Jose, so her cilantro goes to him while mine just sits there. Now I have something else to do with it!
funny how we all have the same kitchen issues, like never using up the cilantro. I’m fated to find old cilantro in the back of my refrigerator for the rest of my life, I think.
Does romanesco have a similar flavor to broccoli? I’ve seen them at the market, and now I’m inspired to buy some and try this recipe!
Definitely never seen romanesco before!
Wow… Different look. It’s that fine line between looking culinary and non-edible with them… but now it’s time to try ’em out!
Interesting dish.
I chop the entire bunch of parsley or cilantro, or whatever the fresh herb is. Then I just use the amount required in the recipe, and put the rest in a small ziplock bag in the freezer. Then the next time I need chopped herbs, it’s ready to go. A little extra work initially, but definitely worth it.
Never seen romanesco before, but will keep an eye out for it. The recipe sounds wonderful.
Cilantro is really good in pho or a pho-style noodle soup – any noodle soup with a rich, savory broth of any kind will take well to being freshened a good handful of chopped soft herbs, like cilantro, basil, mint, scallions, etc.
Or you can finely chop a good handful of cilantro, cover it with low-sodium soy sauce and brown rice vinegar, throw in some toasted sesame and some slices of Thai bird chiles, and use thtat as a dipping sauce for fried tofu.
Welcome home. I too have been stuck in a constant rut of cilantro wasting recently. However, I used the most ever the other week, about 3/4 of it! I made tacos and quesadillas like a fiend for a full week – they were delicious but I think I was motivated to simply rid myself of cilantro.
I have never seen baby Romanesco before, they hardly look edible. I remember learning in high school that in nature, the brightly colored and sharp looking plants and animals are usually poison. What do they taste like?
This makes me want some noodles. I also make a noodle salad like this one on warm days with cilantro, lime juice and a hit of honey with julienned veggies (carrots, cucumber, sprouts etc). Soba noodles are nice, and so are thick slurpy udon noodles.
I love cilantro, but don’t use it as often as I used to as my husband isn’t a fan. This sounds wonderful, I’ll just have to make it for myself when he’s out of town!
I love cilantro, and I tend to use a lot of it. Sometimes, though, it does get kind of shoved off to the side and devolves into slime. Keeping a paper towel in the bag with the cilantro seems to stave off the inevitable for about a week.
I forget about cilantro after my first use of it too. What an excellent idea this recipe is.
The way that romanesco is makes it look like weed.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who’s never had Romanesco before. They are very cute!
Unlike you, I have a hard time keeping cilantro in the fridge. My husband puts it on everything! However, I will buy an extra bunch next time I’m at the store just so I can make these noodles. Yum!
Romanesco? Is that what those pinecone looking things are? Ha! I’ve never seen that before. Sounds like a lovely dish though I am consistent in overcooking soba noodles and turning them to mush.
As for the about-to-go-bad herb problem, I’ve been adding them to my juicer and punching up fresh fruit juices!
A simple idea but a great one. Like you, I’m guilty of letting big bunches of cilantro waste away in my refrigerator too often. Soba is one of my favorite noodle, and I am certain I will try what you did sometime soon, but probably with broccoli.
Not necessarily with cilantro, but that happens all the time to me also! Ahh, the benefits of a herb garden, to take a small sprig whenever you need it and no waste!
Have I been living under a rock? I thought those vegetables looked very broccoli-ish, but not like any broccoli I’ve come across. Romanesco, then, huh. Are those farmers market finds? They look interesting.
And yes, we all experience cilantro mush…throw into that category parsley and sometimes even (gasp! because it lasts so long!) mint. They’re just too fungus-loving to use up quickly enough…and the bunch you get is so big!
I, too, suffer from the “Toss cilantro after using only a bit” syndrome. Alas, in my neck of the woods, the cilantro on offer is the opposite of big and bushy. It’s small and limp and tired. So, those couple of spoonfuls I often need for something cost about a buck each. Woe is me.
I have also never cooked with the romanesco, it looks like a galactic broccoli of so, but now I know what to do with it.
About the cilantro, there is a very nice recipe from Chile called “chancho en piedra”, where you combine tomatos, onion, garlic, lots of cilantro, parsley, bit of red chilli paste, salt and peper. Everything very finelly chopped and the onions blanched a bit. Is delicious with bread, meat, etc.
I bet this has a quite a kick with the raw garlic dressing!
Like the idea of using up those lonely bits of cilantro – you could possibly even make the sauce with leftover bits of cilantro stalk from another recipe if you were super frugal?
Boiling the veg for the last minute of the pasta cooking time is something I often do and it is such an easy way to save on a bit of washing up!
I love the look of that Romanesco. I see it at my farmers’ market all the time, but i never know what to do with it. this looks like a yummy recipe.
I love the look of that Romanesco. I see it at my farmers’ market all the time, but i never know what to do with it. this looks like a yummy recipe.
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