At Leo in Brooklyn, Even the Most Stubborn Winter Vegetables Taste Like Luxury | Bon Appétit
"A counter-service bakery and restaurant in Williamsburg that easily converts any time of day into an excuse to stop by—think seeded morning buns for breakfast, pear crostata with espresso, or a pizza rosso snack to go. Founded by two cooks with deep pizza roots, the menu highlights an array of ripassata preparations: vegetables treated with slow, technique-forward cooking to tame fibrous stems, from olive-oil–doused peppers and broccolini to fioretto cauliflower with Calabrian chili and fennel seeds. The owners point to neighborhood European cafés as inspiration and emphasize seasonality (broccoli rabe and spigarello in winter; eggplant and bell peppers in summer), tasting-led technique (blanching, roasting, or boiling to a “pleasure spot”), and generous use of high-quality olive oil. Practical tips from the kitchen include roasting at very high heat for short bursts (about 500°F for ~10 minutes), blanching greens for roughly three minutes, finishing vegetables with acid (winter citrus or wine vinegar), and seasoning with single-origin spices, peperoncino, fennel seed, and textured additions like roasted pine nuts or crushed hazelnuts. Many ripassata preparations improve after resting and can be repurposed between thick sourdough slices, atop pizza, or alongside pasta; sample house approaches include a winter-greens sauté with Calabrian chili, roasted peppers with broccolini and fennel seed dressed in red wine vinegar, and roasted turnips with a dandelion-green and hazelnut pesto served with whipped ricotta." - ByLizzie Noonan
