The name Fioretto® means ‘little flower’ in Italian, a name chosen to describe the delicate, flowering heads of the new vegetable.
In Australia, Fioretto® is grown exclusively by Perfection Fresh, the company behind some of Australia’s favourite farm-fresh flavours such as Qukes® (deliciously crunchy baby cucumbers), vine sweet Minicaps® baby capsicums, crisp Broccolini®, vine-ripened Mix-a-mato® tomatoes and exclusive lines of berries and mangoes including Calypso®.
Like its high-profile family members, the flavourful Fioretto® is healthful and nutritious. The long-stem vegetable with white blossom-like florets is also tall and willowy and very photogenic, with the #Fioretto hashtag lighting up the Instagram feeds of inspired foodies around Australia. (We understand; we think they’re beautiful, too.) The versatile vegetable, which is harvested from April, is mild and nutty and can be eaten raw or sautéed and added to salads with a drizzle of lemon.
Dazzle your guests by slathering Fioretto® in garlic butter and roasting it to serve as a side. Or feature Fioretto® in a pasta salad with fresh spinach, walnuts and dulce gorgonzola. The fact both the tasty green stems and snowy white Fioretto® blossoms are cooked in mere minutes also makes Fioretto® a popular choice for busy parents wanting to whip up a meal in no time. Children are also open to trying this new vegetable, as it is extremely
palatable and can be paired with foods (such as pasta), which they already like.
Ask fans of Fioretto® what their favourite way to cook the vegetable is and they will struggle. It’s like asking to choose a favourite child. Part of the vegetable’s beauty is it is extremely adaptable. Usher in autumn by grilling Fioretto® alongside a range of colourful vegetables, which come into their own when cooked over flames such as Broccolini®, red capsicum and zucchini. Fioretto® can be eaten raw, pickled or cooked and is excellent in a stir fry or a light, airy tempura batter. Elevate Fioretto® to be the centrepiece of a meal by showering it in Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian breadcrumbs and grilling it until golden.
Fioretto® is available exclusively at Woolworths stores in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania until September. Eco-conscious eaters will love the fact every inch of the vegetable is valued so there is zero waste. Check the website of Perfection Fresh for inspiration in the kitchen. Here, you’ll find recipes for Fioretto® served raw in salads, stir-fried with its slender sibling, Broccolini®, and roasted and barbecued, too. Fioretto® also lends itself to Moroccan flavours with farro, pistachio, pomegranate and yoghurt delivering a riot of colour on the plate. We also love Fioretto® served alongside Broccolini® and labneh and scattered with dukkah, or served with spinach in a cheesy omelette.
Fioretto® was first bred in Japan and is now exclusively grown and marketed by Perfection Fresh in Australia. Since 1978, the Simonetta family behind Perfection Fresh has travelled the world to find new exciting tastes to bring back to Australia where the branded fresh produce is then trialled and grown, and Fioretto® is on course to be its next crowd-pleasing favourite. Fioretto® should be stored stem-down to stop moisture from gathering in the clusters of florets.