The Romanesco Broccoli is related to the cauliflower, but it is a super COOL vegetable in that the failed flower buds make a fractal structure. I am not very knowledgeable in math so when I read that the fractal structure was a logarithmic spiral where every quarter turn is farther from the origin by the factor of phi. I thought they had just misspelled pi, but in fact they were talking about another math Greek letter the φ and not the π, the φ is the golden ratio number and π is the ratio of a circle. In my trying to understand the math a little bit better, I did come across the fact that both the φ and the π are considered fractals.

So I give you a very delicious Fractal Gluten Free Quiche made with Romanesco Broccoli, Bacon and Cheddar Cheese.

Supplies

Pi Dough:

1 1/2 cups (225 grams) Gluten Free Flour

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Sugar

8 Tbsp. (115 grams/1 stick) Cold Butter

1/4 cup (70 grams) Greek Yogurt

Cold Water

Quiche Filling:

1 Yellow Onion

3 Slices of Bacon

6 Medium Eggs

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) Milk

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Tapioca Starch*

3 Florets of Romanesco Broccoli**

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

*Tapioca Starch/Flour is a thickening agent, you can substitute with cornstarch or guargum

**Can't find it, you can substitute with Broccoli and not make any changes, if you use Cauliflower you may want to blanche/steam it first.

Cooking Supplies:

Knife

Cutting Board

Measuring Spoons/Cups or Weight

Cheese Grater

Frying Pan

10" Pie Pan

Step 1: Make the Pi Crust

Mix together, 1 1/2 cups (225 grams) Gluten Free Flour, 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp. Salt and 1 tsp. Sugar.

Take the butter out of the Fridge and slice in manageable pieces to mix with the flour mixture, pinching the butter in between the flour with your fingers to make it flat, mix all of the butter with the flour then add the 1/4 cup yogurt. If it is too crumbly slowly add in 1 tsp. of cold water, for me I only needed 1 (1 tsp) but you may need more, just don't make the dough too sticky and don't work it very much.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap or in a bowl with a lid and place in the fridge for half an hour.

Step 2: Pre-Fry

PreFry the 3 slices of Bacon (yes you see more in the pictures, because really who can fry bacon with out eating some)

While the bacon is frying cut up the 1 white onion, take the skin off, cut in half, slice in 1/4" slices and then in half again.(see picture above)

Take out the bacon after it has browned and dry on a paper towel.

Fry the sliced onion in the bacon pan so it gets all of the nice juices leftover from frying the bacon, slowly caramalize and brown the onion and take them out of the pan leaving the fat behind.

Slice the bacon into bite size pieces after it has cooled down.

Step 3: Roll the Dough

Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and place on a piece of parchment paper. If slightly crumbly that is okay, just use the parchment paper to form it into a ball and slowly flatten it until you can start rolling it out with a roller. If you need to add a little flour, don't forget to use your Gluten Free flour ;)

Slowly roll until you have it at about 1/4" thick and just the right size to fill the inside and go up the sides of your pie plate. Place the pie crust into the fridge for half and hour.

Step 4: Quiche Filling

Preheat oven to 350degrees

In a small bowl mix together 1 Tbs. Tapioca Starch with 2 Tbs. Milk

In a large bowl take the rest of the Milk and add in 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt, the tapioca milk mixture, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp. salt and mix well.

Take the 3 Romanesco florets and wash them well, (4th picture shows a size guide compared to a regular size of a broccoli floret) Cut or tear the flowering heads into smaller pieces.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar on the pie crust along with the bacon and onion, then place the Romanesco pieces next, pour the egg mixture over the top and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on top.

Place the Quiche on the middle rack and back for 35-40 minutes, the middle will be a little jiggly, allow it to cool.

Step 5: Serve

Serve the quiche warm or cold with bread and a salad.

I hope I helped you find a new vegetable today, let me know if you try it!