I prepared this romanesco broccoli salad with pickles and olives as a side dish (one of the side dishes) for Christmas lunch.

Delicious, and for me also beautiful, so colorful. 😊

Surely, seeing the photo, you could not miss the resemblance to the famous Neapolitan reinforcement salad. In fact, it is, it is her, but I preferred not to use the original title out of respect for the true traditional recipe. I have never eaten the true original version, even though I have heard so much about it and have seen many recipes online, but I had no doubt that, even personalizing it, it would turn out very good. After all, I was inspired by an absolutely reliable recipe 😍 that of Giovanna from the blog Mangia senza pancia (hello Giovanna!), my unbeatable coach, Neapolitan, creator of my -22 pounds (never regained! 😍).

The variations I made to the recipe were few: I avoided the anchovies – which I don’t eat because I don’t like them, but also because they are too salty and unsuitable for our decades-long low-sodium kitchen – moreover, for the same low-sodium reason, I used a bit fewer pickles and capers and proportionally a bit more vegetables.

And then I used romanesco broccoli instead of cauliflower, simply because the florets of this beautiful vegetable are tree-shaped, and therefore were particularly suitable for the Christmas lunch. 😊🌲

It turned out very beautiful and colorful, my Romanesco broccoli salad was liked by the whole family at the Christmas lunch 😊 and precisely for its beautiful colors, I decided to propose it today in the Light and Tasty column, which today is dedicated to winter colors. Well yes, for being a winter salad it has a very summery and colorful aspect, but in my opinion, it is just what is needed to brighten this winter!

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If you are, like me, in search of cheerful winter colors… then take a look at these other recipes! 👇

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 4 Hours
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 4-6
Cooking methods: Microwave
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring

Ingredients

14 oz romanesco broccoli
2 carrots (large, or 3 small)
Half bell pepper
3 tbsp mixed pickles
2 pickled gherkins
10 black olives
10 green olives
1 tsp capers
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Tools

Container for microwave cooking
Salad Bowl

Steps

Cut the Romanesco broccoli florets and wash them quickly.
Place them in a microwave-safe container, close with the lid.
Cook in the microwave for just a few minutes, 3 to 4 minutes are enough.
👉 They shouldn’t be boiled but remain al dente.
Peel the carrots and cook them in the microwave for a few minutes, until al dente.
Similarly, cook the bell pepper in the microwave for a few minutes.
👉 I used about half a bell pepper (two pieces of bell pepper of two different colors), but a little more wouldn’t have been out of place. 😉
While carrots and bell pepper are cooking, prepare the pickles: the ones I used were quite large pieces, so I preferred to cut them into smaller pieces, plus I added a couple of gherkins.
Drain the pickles well, possibly rinse them briefly under running water to remove excess vinegar and salt.
Cut the olives in half after rinsing them from the brine, as it is also good to do for pickled capers.
☝ In case of using salted capers, it is necessary to desalinate them by soaking them in water for about ten minutes.
Cut the bell pepper into strips (if it wasn’t already cut before cooking).
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and dress with a drizzle of oil.
Mix well and let the salad rest for several hours before serving, so that it can be well flavored.
👉 It can also be prepared the day before, as suggested by Giovanna in her recipe, and that’s what I did too. Well, in fact, I prepared it in advance also for convenience reasons: since there are many things to cook for Christmas lunch, this romanesco broccoli salad similar to reinforcement salad is a really smart dish because, besides being really very good, it is very simple to prepare and can be made in advance, also improving in taste.
When serving, taste and adjust with oil and vinegar if needed.
👉 For my taste, the vinegar contained in the pickles is sufficient to flavor the whole dish, but anyone can add more at their discretion.
And here is my not-original-but-incredibly-good reinforcement salad photographed on our Christmas table. Obviously served right after some very Romagnol cappelletti. A regional twinning. 😃

Salt-Free Tips

Salt-Free As mentioned in the introduction and procedure, I tried to limit the salt intake by slightly reducing the amount of inherently salty ingredients (olives, capers, pickles, gherkins) and briefly rinsing them under running water. I also cooked the vegetables in the microwave instead of in water.

Remember that the microwave is a valuable ally in low-sodium cooking.

For those who don’t yet know that I cook without added salt, in this article the whole story of this family journey of ours, which we have been proud of for over two decades, is explained. 😊

If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Gradually decrease the salt, the palate must get used to it slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granules
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the saltshaker to the table!
■ Sometimes allow yourself a little indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.

If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes, seasoning according to your habits.

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Light and Tasty:

And now here are the winter-colored recipes from my colleagues of the Light and Tasty Team:

Carla Emilia: Artichoke and Potato Flan
Cinzia: Sicilian Savoy Cabbage
Claudia: Fennel and Potato Velouté
Daniela: Gratinated Fennel with Almond and Citrus Zest Crumb
Elena: Gratinated Brussels Sprouts and Speck
Milena: Red Rice with Cabbage and Taggiasca Olives

Delicious Recipes

Romanesco Broccoli Salad with Pickles and Olives