The Italian heirloom summer squash posing as a fluted Roman column. Striated and flecked with green on shades of green. When you slice it crosswise, the shapes are floral in a stylized, modern design kind of way. It maintains a firm, tender-bite texture unlike its more watery cousins, zucchini or yellow summer squash, and has a sweeter, nuttier flavor.
A bit of pork flavor—in the form of browned pancetta or proscuitto—complements costata romanesca beautifully.
We bought some of these squash at Killdeer Farm stand in Norwich to go with our grilled chicken legs last night, I sautéed the flower-shaped discs with some sliced prosciutto and olive oil. First over moderately high heat, until they started to brown, and then over medium-low heat until they softened a bit. Seasoned just with sea salt and black pepper.
The Roving Locavore 
[…] with a classic combination of vegetables. I bought an eggplant, sweet green pepper, sweet onion, costata romanesca. I looked at everything, admired everything, knew I’d be back […]
[…] the costata romanesca, this one has classical roots, but it’s look is minaret than column. It’s a green […]
Amy, we’ve just been alerted to your blog. Very interesting and good-looking. Congratulations!
Nic & Susan Johnson