Method
- Cut off any large stalks and discard. Place the rapini in a sink filled with water to wash off any dirt and sprays.
- Add 2″ of water and rapini to a large pot, then bring to boil. The water doesn’t need to cover the rapini.
- Boil for 3-5 minutes then strain out water.
- Add oil to a skillet on medium-high heat then add garlic, cook for 1 minute.
How do you cook rapini?
recipe is one that is used by Italians all over Italy serves 4 as a side dish Put the oil, garlic and pepper in a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook until garlic just starts to brown. Add the rapini (cut in half if the bunch is really long) along with the water.
What do you do with rapini leaves?
Add the rapini leaves and buds with about two to three minutes left in the cooking time. Remove the rapini from the pot and serve as a side dish or cut up and add to pasta, rice, omelets, mashed potatoes or quiche.
Can you freeze rapini?
Transfer your blanched rapini to an ice water bath and once cooled place the desired amount in freezer bags. Squeeze out the air and leave a little bit of water in the bag. Put in your freezer until you’re ready to cook them. Even if you don’t have a garden, this is a great way to preserve local foods when they are in season.
How do you know when Rapini is cooked?
The best way to test the rapini is to pierce a stalk and taste a leaf for salt. Remove from heat when the greens are ready. The rapini will look like this. This makes a fantastic side for almost any dish. Next time you want to serve broccoli, spinach or green beans as a side, try rapini for a change.
Should you wash broccoli rabe?
Swish the greens around. Once you have the greens submerged, you need to agitate them, much like a washing machine does. Move them around in the water so that the dirt comes away form the leaves and into the water. Wash all the crevices in the rabe, including in and around the small buds.
How do you clean and saute broccoli rabe?
My preferred method of cooking broccoli rabe is to first blanch it in salted water. After blanching, drain the broccoli rabe, and then sauté in olive oil with a generous amount of garlic. Add red pepper flakes if you like. Season with salt to taste.
How do you get rid of bitterness in rapini?
"Broccoli rabe needs two things," said Nina Balducci of the legendary Balducci's in New York City, once a mecca of genuine Italian ingredients outside of Italy, "water and salt." The trick is to first blanch it in plenty of salty water to tame its bitterness and coax out its sweet side.
Do you remove the leaves from rapini?
If there are stems that are still very thick, you can pull off the leaves to cook and discard the thick stems. This is how it's done in Naples. It's safe to eat the leaves, along with the florets and more tender parts of the rapini stalks.
Is rapini and broccoli rabe the same thing?
Lastly, we have broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, which is not a broccoli derivative at all and is instead more closely related to the turnip. It's a bitter green, similar to a mustard green, with thin stalks, little buds, and lots and lots of leaves.
Do you need to blanch rapini?
Eating. All parts of rapini are edible - the stems, the leaves, the buds and even the flowers. Rapini has an assertive but pleasant bitter taste that mellows with cooking. (If you find the taste of rapini too bitter, blanch it before sauteeing or adding to pastas and stir-fries.)
Can you eat rapini stems?
You can eat all parts of rapini, although the stems usually take longer to cook than the rest of the plant. The rapini leaves have a slightly bitter taste, while the stems and buds offer a more delicate flavor.
Is rapini healthier than broccoli?
A nutrition superstar, rapini satisfies more than 50% of your daily recommended value of vitamins C and A. It also delivers iron and vitamin K, which is important for bone strength. It's also just one step beneath regular broccoli (but in line with spinach) for protein content.
How do you cook broccoli rabe so it isn't bitter?
As much as I love a bitter flavor in food, cooking broccoli rabe straight-up leaves it way more bitter than I like. The easiest way to get some of that bitter flavor out is by blanching it first. Just a quick minute in boiling water gets enough of the bitterness out and jumpstarts the cooking.
Which part of rapini do you eat?
While it's a cousin of the common broccoli, rapini is darker green, has a bitter taste and has more leaves, which are edible, around the top buds or florets. Rapini's stalk is slender and not as thick as broccoli. While Rapini's bitter taste can shy people away from it, some sources say that's part of its appeal.
Can rapini be eaten raw?
Preparation. Like all vegetables, rapini can technically be eaten raw, although it is far more common (and tasty) to cook it before eating it. Here is a method of cooking rapini that also reduces its bitter flavor: First, give the rapini a wash under running water.
How long should I boil rapini?
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add rapini. Return to boil and boil about two to three minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.
What does rapini taste like?
Cooked rapini has a pungent, bitter flavor with a subtle nutty undertone. People describe this vegetable as a cross between mustard greens and broccoli. The stem of a broccoli rabe contains a lot of the bitterness, while the buds and leaves are milder.
Rapini Vs Rabe Vs Broccolini
Let’s start with rapini and rabe: they’re both the same. Check out the table below to see how broccolini and rapini differ.
How to prepare rapini
Rapini is an efficient vegetable with very little thrown away during preparation. The stem, leaves, and flowers are all perfectly edible. Cut off the stalks close to the end and discard.
How to cook rapini
Blanching for 1 minute will take the harsh taste away but it will still be quite strong.
Health benefits
Rapini is a nutrition-packed vegetable, rich in iron, calcium, and potassium. It is also rich in vitamins A, C, and K. The nutritional goodness from rapini can help boost the immune system, improve bone density, and regulate blood pressure.
Final Words
Rapini is a dark green, leafy vegetable that is similar in appearance to broccolini but a lot more bitter in flavor. This bitter taste is great for balancing dishes. If you have a heavy meat dish, rapini will provide some fresh relief.
What is Rapini?
For those of you who don’t know what rapini are or what it looks like, it’s a type of Italian broccoli. It’s more leafy and with a little sharpness in its flavor than it’s American/British cousin. Also sometimes referred to as “rabe” (pronounced “rah-beh”) or “broccoli raab”, it is a green cruciferous vegetable.
Sautéed Rapini
recipe is one that is used by Italians all over Italy serves 4 as a side dish
How to Use or Serve Rapini
This makes a fantastic side for almost any dish. Next time you want to serve broccoli, spinach or green beans as a side, try rapini for a change. But don’t be shy; use rapini in sandwiches, like this porchetta (pork) panino!
Sauteed Rapini
Try this slightly bitter green as a side dish and I bet you're hooked after the first time you taste it! So nutritious as well as delicious.
Step 1
Select rapini that is slender and firm to the touch, with a bright green color and not many opened buds.
Step 2
Trim off the bottom ¼-inch of the rapini stem with a sharp knife. Remove the stems from the leaves and buds with your knife.
Step 3
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the stems to the water. Allow them to cook for about six minutes, until tender but still with texture.
Step 4
Add the rapini leaves and buds with about two to three minutes left in the cooking time.
Step 5
Remove the rapini from the pot and serve as a side dish or cut up and add to pasta, rice, omelets, mashed potatoes or quiche.
