When I washed the mustard greens, while cooking supper last night, I noticed broccoli-like florets in them. The weren’t mustard greens at all, they were broccoli rabe (sometimes spelled broccoli rabi, and sometimes called rapini). That meant a complete change in recipe.
If I were planning a meal around broccoli rabe, what I’d usually do is to sautee garlic and sliced vegetarian Italian sausage in olive oil. When the sausage is browned, I then add crushed red pepper, mix it in, then add chopped broccoli rabe. Maybe a splash of lemon juice, too. It’s done when the broccoli rabe is all wilted, which happens faster if you have a lid to put on your skillet, because then the greens get steamed. Meanwhile, I cook a pot of pasta. Then I mix the pasta and broccoli rabe in a serving bowl, and mix in shredded parmesan cheese, letting the hot pasta and vegetables melt the cheese. Delicious!
Broccoli rabe also makes good sausage rolls. Heat garlic in olive oil, add crushed red pepper, then chopped broccoli rabe. Mix parmesan cheese into the greens mixture. Meanwhile, heat 2 or 3 vegetarian Italian sausages (for one bunch of broccoli rabe). Put each sausage in a roll, and divide the cheesy greens among the rolls. Bakery-fresh Italian rolls make all the difference.
When I got surprised by the broccoli rabe while making supper last night, I didn’t have vegetarian Italian sausage around, nor did I have rolls. I could have made pasta, but I rice already made. So I did another variant. The skillet started with garlic and olive oil, of course. Next in was a can of cannelini beans. Then the red pepper and chopped broccoli rabe, then lemon juice last. Thinking about arrancini, I put parmesan cheese (powdered, not shredded, because that was what we bought for pesto) directly into the rice. The cheesy rice made a base to serve the beans and greens over. Definitely good enough to make again, even if I knew in advance that I was cooking with broccoli rabe.
Veg Year 