Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family
Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
This recipe for broccoli rabe with garlic takes minutes to make. It’s fragrant, tender and perfect with any main course.
The Backstory: I can’t say enough about this delicious recipe for broccoli rabe with garlic. Not only is it truly delicious (savory, perfectly cooked, flavorful, okay, I’ll stop now), it goes with chicken, fish, beef, pasta, and just about anything you can come up with. It’s also pretty amazing when you think you know pretty much of everything, how life can throw you little twist and turns. I am writing about recipes and I am learning something new every day. More of the Backstory after the recipe…
Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. broccoli rabe
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 + cup pine nuts or slivered almonds to taste. (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- Kosher salt for sprinkling
Instructions
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Cut 1 inch off the broccoli rabe. Wash and pat dry. Put broccoli rabe into a microwavable dish, add the water, and sprinkle with salt. Cover and microwave for a minute. Check to see if it is soft. If not cook it for another minute.
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Put ice cubes and cold water into a dish that can hold the broccoli rabe. Submerge the broccoli in to the ice water. This will stop the cooking process and keep the vegetable bright green.
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Drain the broccoli rabe and pat dry. In a large skillet heat the oil on low - medium heat. Put the garlic in the pan, (be careful not to burn the garlic) and saute for a minute and add the broccoli rabe, Make sure to coat it well with oil and garlic. When it is heated, remove to a platter. Garnish with the nuts and serve.
It is nothing earth shaking, just an awareness of foods. Today’s lesson had to do with broccoli rabe. This veggie is related to the turnip family. Plain broccoli is different as it is from the cabbage family. So, why do they share the same first name? Hey, if anyone reading this knows the answer, please let me know. When you prepare broccoli rabe, you can use the same cooking methods as you would with regular broccoli, you simply need to cook broccoli rabe for less time as the stalks are thinner and thus the vegetable cooks more quickly. Who knew?
I always connected broccoli rabe with Italian cooking, but it works equally well with just about any kind of cuisine, depending upon how you season it, and of course, what it’s being paired with. The recipe below is definitely one to try. It takes just minutes to make (I know, I’m repeating myself, but I’m loving this recipe) and it’s just plain perfection. I hope you’ll step out of your comfort zone (as I have been doing lately) and try this delicious veggie.