Grilled Romanesco super grain salad caramelized onions and toasted pine nuts
 - a hearty, healthy, nutty and flavorful side or main for your thanksgiving table
​by priti malhotra

For grilling the Romanesco florets;
About 3 cups Romanesco cut into bite size florets
2 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 tsp za’atar (optional; middle eastern spice blend, available commonly)
Salt and pepper to taste
Red chili flakes (optional)


Caramelized onions;
1/2 red onion sliced thin
1 tbsp oil 
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts


1 cup super grain mix (a mix of quinoa, millet and buckwheat or any other grain you like. I used the 365 brand from Whole Foods)
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 small cinnamon stick


Dressing-
1/4 tsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp sherry vinegar
3 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp za’atar (optional)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, za’atar and Romanesco florets in a bowl so each floret is seasoned well. Make sure the romanesco is salted well. Lay them spaced out on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Then broil it for just about a minute to get it slightly charred at the top.
While the florets are in the oven, cook the grains according to the instructions on the package. It is
usually 2 parts liquid to 1 part grain. I added a cinnamon stick and bay leaf for extra flavor. Once cooked, add a teaspoon of salt, fluff it with a fork and keep it covered.
Start caramelizing thinly sliced onions in a sauté pan. To do this, add oil to the pan, once heated, add the onions and the salt. Keep stirring on medium heat until they are browned and sweet to taste.
Toast pine nuts in a small pan on the stove, keep an eye on them since it doesn’t take long to lightly toast them.
Once everything is almost ready, whisk the ingredients of the dressing in a small bowl and have it ready to use.
Now that all the components are ready, assemble the salad. Drizzle half of  the dressing over the grains and mix well. Add the grilled romanesco, caramelized onions, pine nuts and the remainder dressing and toss gently.
Garnish with a few toasted pine nuts. Best served warm.