Crispy Rapini Food

OLIVE OIL-BRAISED CHICKPEAS AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds and chile flakes. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, then add the rabe and toss until coated in oil. Scatter the chickpeas around the rabe and stir to coat in oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are soft and crispy in parts and the broccoli rabe is tender, but the stems are not mushy.
• Let cool slightly. Before serving, remove the rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the seasoned oil.

RAPINI (BROCCOLI RABE) WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Fill a large pot about 2/3 full with salted water, enough to cover the rapini when you add it later. Place the pot on the stove with high heat and cover it.
• Rinse the greens well in cold water to remove any dirt. Cut off the bottom four inches of broccoli rabe stems. If you still have some stems that are thick, you can remove the leaves from them to use and then discard the thick stems. See notes for an easy way to remove the leaves as in Naples.
• Peel the garlic and slice it thinly, then set it aside.
• When the water is boiling, add the rapini to the pot. Wait for the water to come to a boil again, and when it does, leave the greens in for one minute longer. Drain the broccoli rabe and let it sit in the drainer in the sink.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and let it cook for a minute. Pat the rapini dry with a paper towel. Add the greens to the pan, turning them to coat with olive oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes or until done to your liking (stirring occasionally). Taste again for seasonings, and add red pepper flakes before serving.

SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then salt generously. Drop in the rapini and cook until the rapini turns bright green and partially cooks, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider to transfer the rapini to a bowl of ice water to rapidly cool, reserving the boiling water. Drain the rapini, then cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes if using and cook for an additional minute.
• Meanwhile, add the Ricotta Cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pasta and rapini to the skillet, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Season with cracked black pepper. Toss to coat the pasta, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pecorino and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Combine the ricotta, eggs and salt in a large bowl, then stir into the flour. Gently combine with your hands to bring together into a dough. Knead the dough together, adding additional flour until the dough is firm and not sticky. Tightly wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface into a 1/4-inch-thick rope. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Use a bench scraper or your index and third fingers held together to gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging the bench scraper toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly-floured baking sheet and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, the pasta can be frozen in a single layer and stored in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.)

BEEF AND RAPINI STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Trim beef of fat, and slice against the grain into thin slices.
• Whisk together wine, sugar, soy sauce and grated ginger root in a bowl. Add beef, and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Trim about ½-inch (1-cm) from rapini stems and discard. Slice remaining stems into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces and reserve stems and leaves separately. Set aside about a third of the rapini leaves and sliver them.
• Heat ¼ cup (50 mL) oil in wok or deep skillet on high heat. Working in batches, carefully add slivered rapini and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until crispy. Do not be alarmed, they crackle and hiss a bit. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
• Add more oil to the pan if necessary to make 2 tbsp (25 mL). Remove beef from marinade and season with salt and pepper. When oil is very hot add beef to oil. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches, if necessary. Stir-fry until cooked on the outside but rare in middle, about 1 minute per batch. Remove meat and reserve.
• Wipe out pan. Return to heat and add 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. When hot, add rapini stems and onion to oil and stir-fry 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp (25 mL) water, cover and cook 1 minute. Add leaves, cover and steam for 1 more minute.
• Stir in stock, vinegar and oyster sauce. Return meat and any juice. Stir everything together and drizzle in just enough cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce. Bring to boil stirring until thickened, then stir in sesame oil.
• Place in serving dish and garnish with slivered rapini.

MUSSELS WITH BACON AND RAPINI

Steps:

• For the bacon:.
• In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
• For the croutons:.
• Chop up the bread into thick cubes.
• Add some cubed up bread to the skillet to soak up all the excess bacon fat, add pepper and let it go on medium to low heat until bread crisps up. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Toss remaining bread cubes with the seasonings and oil. Bake until golden and crispy.
• For the mussels:.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil for 30 seconds. Add the whole rapini and blanch for 45 seconds. Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain and roughly chop. Set aside.
• In another pan, add and the olive oil and onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the cherry tomatoes and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the wine, cover, and cook for 2 minutes then add mussels and water and cook until they begin to open, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rapini to the pan of muscles and cook for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, discard unopened mussels, add bacon, dill, chives, butter, lemon juice, to taste, salt, and pepper and serve with croutons on top.

CRISPY RAPINI

Steps:

• Place rapini in a pot and just cover with water. Add tumeric and salt, and cook until the stalks are crisp tender (~5 minutes). Drain. In a medium hot frying pan, heat olive oil and garlic (crushed/chopped)until fragrant. Add drained rapini and saute slightly - let the stalks get browned. Cook until the rapini flowers are slightly crispy and browned. Add salt and pepper as required.