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.