20 Broccoli Rabe Recipes to Make While The Veggie Is in Season (2024)

FAQs

What takes the bitterness out of broccoli rabe? ›

This is also the case for broccoli rabe. Most recipes that use it jump through hoops to tame the green, blanching and shocking it to quell the compound responsible for the bitterness before cooking it. But a dunk in hot water eliminates the vegetable's bitterness almost entirely, stripping it of its unique character.

Broccoli rabe is a cool weather vegetable that's at its best in fall, early winter, and early spring. Warm weather encourages the plant to bolt (or flower), which makes it even more bitter in flavor than usual.

The stalks, leaves, and blossoms of the plant are all edible—you'll just want to trim off the base of the stem, as it can be woody. If you end up with thick-stemmed broccoli rabe despite your best efforts otherwise, simply shave or peel a bit of the stem like you would with beefy asparagus stalks.

Being cruciferous vegetables, both broccoli rabe and broccolini have plenty of nutrients to support overall good health, including vitamins C, E and K. Cruciferous vegetables contain fiber, carotenoids and glucosinolates, which may help protect our bodies from different types of cancers.

Blanching broccoli in a large pot of salt water releases bitter acids from the plant cells and rinses them away, an action that steaming doesn't provide because of the low level of water involved. Additional measures for neutralizing broccoli's bitterness include tossing it with salt and citrus sauce.

Here are the main steps for how to cook this rapini italian style recipe: Gather all ingredients. Rinse the broccoli rabe in cold water and drain. Prep the broccoli rabe by separating the thick, fibrous stems from the more tender leaves and florets.

Broccoli rabe tastes slightly bitter and nutty and is very similar in appearance to other cruciferous vegetables, with florets like broccoli and leaves like kale. All the parts of this vegetable — the stems, leaves, and florets — are edible, and it's easy to cook.

Rapini or broccoli rabe (/rɑːb/) is a green cruciferous vegetable, with the leaves, buds, and stems all being edible; the buds somewhat resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. Rapini is known for its bitter taste, and is particularly associated with Mediterranean cuisine.

Broccoli rabe is a member of the Brassicaceae family and is most likely a descendant of a wild herb similar to the turnip. The plant has many spiked leaves and a bud that resembles broccoli, which sometimes has small, yellow flowers that are also edible.

The stalks of broccoli rabe can be tough if not cooked properly. Many places I've eaten at prepare this dish lightly sautéed so the broccoli rabe has a tender crunch to it. In my mother's kitchen, that's considered raw. If she wanted a crunchy vegetable she would order a salad.

Why is broccoli rabe so good? ›

My go-to fave is broccoli rabe. It's loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, and also packs in minerals like calcium, folate, and iron, just to name a few.

Broccoli rabe is the common name for the vegetable rapini, a close relative of the turnip, which closely resembles broccoli and broccolini. Particularly dense in Vitamin A (one serving is nearly 20% of the daily value), the vegetable is commonly used in Italian, Italian-American, and other cuisines.

Which is healthier, broccoli rabe or spinach? A. As per the data, we can observe that Vitamin B1 is higher in broccoli rabe. On the other hand, vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin C, and iron are higher in spinach.

Broccoli rabe is very low in sodium. Broccoli rabe, as part of a low sodium diet, may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Broccoli rabe can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Broccoli rabe has lutein, which works to protect the retinas from damaging free radicals.

To make your broccoli rabe less bitter, toss it in a pot of boiling salted water for one minute, then drain out the liquid. Then you'll want to quickly plunge the broccoli rabe into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and prevent your broccoli rabe from ggetting soft.

The Fix: Balance bitter flavors by introducing something salty, sweet, or sour. For naturally bitter foods such as kale, you can soften the flavor by add a lemony vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese, and pomegranate seeds. You can also elevate kale by tossing it olive oil and salt, then roasting it in the oven until crispy.

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.