No more bitter broccoli raven! Learn how to cook broccoli rabe and get rid of the bitter edge with this easy recipe. Sweet caramelized onions and a sprinkling of chili pepper make Broccoli Rabe a great side dish.
What is Broccoli Rabe?
Have you ever cooked Rabe (usually pronounced “rob” or “robbie”, also known as Rapini) with broccoli?
It looks like broccolini or Chinese broccoli, with elongated stems, small green flowers, and lots of leaves.
It’s actually more related to beets than broccoli and tastes a little mustard green, slightly bitter but more nutty. Slightly bitter, that is usually.
Blanch broccoli rabe to remove bitterness
The first time I cooked broccoli rabe it must have been very late in the season because those greens were so bitter that none of us (hardy bitter greens eaters that we are) could take more than one bite.
Several cooks I asked about the bitterness suggested blanching the rabe first to mitigate the bitterness. I did that here, but if you like raven’s bite or are working with tender young plants, you can skip this step.
How to serve Broccoli Rabe
I also mixed in some lightly caramelized onions to add some sweetness to offset the bitterness of the greens. Hmm, all that “bitter” talk, I’m not doing a great job selling you on raven, am I!
Not only did I serve this raven to my parents and they devoured it straight away, but I had a bunch left over that I ate cold for lunch the next day. When something tastes just as good cold as it does hot, you know it’s good.
Do you have a favorite way to prepare broccoli rabe? Please let us know in the comments.
Even more ways to enjoy Broccoli Rabe
- Lemony Broccoli Rabe with White Beans
- Broccoli Rabe with pasta and sun-dried tomatoes
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Broccoli Rabe with caramelized onions
ingredients
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3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 yellow Onion, cut into strips, lengthwise (with the grain)
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1 big pile Broccoli raven (Raab, Rapini), rinsed and cut into pieces 2 inches long
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2 to 3 cloves garliccut
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1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
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Kosher salt
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Fresh ground black pepper
method
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Fry onions:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, spread thinly. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and then lightly browned.
(Tip: To speed up the caramelization process, you can sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the onions.) If the onions get too dry, reduce the heat (you can also add a little water). They should brown but not dry out.
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Blanch the broccoli:
After adding the onions, bring a large pot of water to a boil. The onions will take at least 15 minutes to cook, giving you time to bring the water to a boil. Salt the water (about a tablespoon of salt in 3 liters of water).
Prepare an ice bath, fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
Put the raven in the boiling water. Blanch for 1 minute. Remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in ice bath to stop cooking. Quenching the raven with ice water will also help keep the raven bright green.
Note that some people blanch their rabe while others don’t. Rabe can be quite bitter, so blanching it will help moderate the bitterness. If your rabe is not particularly bitter or you like bitter greens, you can simply skip this blanching step.
Drain the ice water from the raven. Use a clean tea towel to gently wring the excess moisture out of the raven.
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Sweat the raven and onions with chili flakes and garlic:
Once the onions are lightly browned, remove them from the pan and place in a bowl. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and heat the pan over high heat. Add the chilli flakes. As soon as the chilli flakes start to sizzle, add the garlic.
Once the garlic starts to brown around the edges, add the broccoli and onions.
Toss the rabe mixture so it is well coated with the olive oil. Cook over high heat until most of the moisture is gone, about 5 minutes if you blanched first, a minute or two longer if you skipped the blanching.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to serve.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 82 | calories |
| 7g | Fat |
| 4g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
