Broccoli Rabe Shakshuka Style Food

BROCCOLI RABE, SHAKSHUKA STYLE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy 12- to 14-inch skillet; cast iron is best. Add onions, bell peppers and jalapeños and sauté on medium about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender and starting to color. Stir in garlic, cook for a minute or two, then stir in potatoes. Reduce heat a bit and sauté another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and add thyme.
• Add broth and cook on medium-low until much of it has evaporated and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add broccoli rabe. Cook, stirring occasionally until broccoli rabe has wilted, softened and reduced. Fold in chile flakes and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off heat. Smooth top of vegetables and use the back of a soup spoon to make 4 or 6 evenly spaced shallow depressions in the mixture.
• Light broiler and adjust a rack fairly close to the heat. Just before serving, break an egg into each of the depressions in the vegetables. Place skillet under the broiler until whites are set and yolks are still runny (they'll wiggle if gently touched), 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Dust each egg with cheese and serve.

BROCCOLI RABE WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Cut off and discard the tough ends of the broccoli rabe and cut the rest of into 2-inch pieces. Place the broccoli in a colander and rinse. Drain well. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add the broccoli to the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, over medium to low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs, until the stalks are tender but still al dente. Add the reserved garlic, check the seasonings, and serve hot.

SAUTEED BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Working in batches, cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute per bunch. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Strain the cooled broccoli rabe and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the reserved cooking water, the raisins, and cook until the broccoli rabe is heated through and the stems are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Just before serving, toss the mixture with the pine nuts.

SAUTEED BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well salted ice water. Drop the broccoli rabe into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the boiling water and plunge immediately into the ice water. Once cool remove from the ice water and let dry. It can be used right away or held for future use.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic and crushed red pepper and bring to medium heat. Once the garlic is brown and aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the broccoli rabe and toss around in the oil to heat up and season. Remember the broccoli is already cooked. Add more oil, if needed and season with salt if needed (it probably will).

MARIA'S BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut an X in the bottom of the stems of the broccoli rabe and place in the boiling water. Cook until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli rabe and saute 10 to 15 minutes, or until desired doneness. Dust with parmesan cheese, if desired.

BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Trim the ends from the broccoli rabe and cut the remaining stalks crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces at the floret end and thinly at the stem end. Float in a bowl of cold water, drain, and repeat.
• In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, combine the chicken stock and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste -- some canned broth is saltier than others. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with drizzled olive oil.

STEAMED BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Trim broccoli by cutting off the bottom of the stalks. Rinse well and drain allowing water droplets to remain on broccoli.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Add broccoli rabe and stir until the leaves start to wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet and let cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

BROCCOLI RABE TIMBALE

Steps:

• Prepare the vegetables: Trim away bottoms of stems from broccoli rabe or baby broccoli, then remove greens and florets, keeping them separate from the stems. If stems are thicker than 1/2 inch, cut in half lengthwise.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add stems. Blanch for 2 minutes, then add florets and leaves. Continue to blanch for another 3 minutes. Using a skimmer or a spider, transfer all the broccoli rabe or baby broccoli to a bowl of cold water, then drain. (If using broccoli rabe, take handfuls of the greens and squeeze out excess water.) Place on kitchen towels and allow to drain for a few more minutes, then chop fine.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add thyme and chopped vegetables. Stir over medium heat for about 1 minute, season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
• Make the timbale: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter a 1- or 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish or ring mold, or six 1/2-cup ramekins. Set dish (or ramekins) in a baking pan.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add salt. Bring milk to a bare simmer: You should see bubbles at the sides of the pan, but the surface of the milk should not break. Remove from heat and whisk into eggs. Stir in bread crumbs, cheeses and vegetable filling. Scrape into large soufflé dish or ladle into smaller ramekins.
• Carefully pour enough hot water into baking pan to measure about 1 inch up the sides of the baking dish(es). Place pan in oven. Bake a large timbale for 40 to 45 minutes, small ramekins for 30 minutes, until just set. Turn off oven and prop oven door open. Let dish(es) sit in oven, leaving large timbale for 30 minutes to an hour, or small ramekins for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. To unmold, run a knife around the edge of the soufflé dish or ramekins and reverse onto a plate or a platter. Serve warm or room temperature, surrounded with marinara sauce.