RAPINI (aka brocolli rabe) is an unusual vegetable with great nutritional value that isnt part of the usual fare for most home chefs as its not always readily available. Were lucky to have a good supply in California, where its grown, and I had the pleasure of preparing rapini for the first time yesterday. After a bit of research, I learned that it (1), is not related to broccoli or broccolini, but (2) is closer to the turnip family, and so its greens can have a slightly more pungent flavor with a bitter hint. Lots of recipes online, but heres the simple idea, which produced delightful results -- 1. The lower, thicker part of the stems are perfectly edible, so dont throw them away. (Think of them like the lower thicker part of asparagus or broccoli stems. If the stems are brown or almost woody, of course cut those lower portions off and discard them. Otherwise, peel away the tough outer skin, (a vegetable peeler works well for this and chop them in 1/2 inch lengths.) You can chop the greens into bite size pieces at this stage if your prefer, or leave them whole. 2. Boiling the greens for 3 minutes or so in a pot of boiling water will remove the right amount of bitterness, and leave them delicious. Add the stems to the boiling water first for one minute, then add the leaves. Pull one small piece of stem out after a few minutes and confirm that it is soft (but remember it will still get another minute of heat in the next cooking stage, so dont let it become too soft). 3. Mince or mash a few cloves of garlic in a saute pan with olive oil (if you only have garlic powder on hand, that will have to do -- maybe 1/2 teaspoon, or to your taste). Drain the greens, and add them to the pan of olive oil and garlic to heat and blend. Season to taste and serve. 4. For a perfect complement to the rapini, you can roast some cut potatoes to a golden brown (1/2 to 3/4 pieces work well). (I used red potatoes, but Yukon gold, or any firm fleshed potato will work fine. Boil the chopped potato pieces for 5 minutes or so to get the cooking underway, then drain them before adding to the saute pan for another 10-15 minutes of cooking/browning.) This can be done in the saute pan before adding the garlic. Serve the potatoes and rappini mixed together in a single dish. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapini
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 15:52:39 +0000
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