Growing up half Italian, I’ve had a ton of pasta. A TON. My mom would make it, my aunts would make it and of course, my Nonna would make it. To this day, every family get together has some sort of pasta on the menu. Lasagna, manicotti, pasta with sauce, pasta with ricotta, ravioli and more. I don’t even want to know how many pounds of pasta I’ve consumed since I was a baby.
I’ve slowed down on my pasta intake since getting married. For some reason, my husband has never wanted to have it two to three times a week. Strange, I know. I can’t tell you how much that bothered when we first got married. But now I’m thankful because he helped me add to my favorite foods list.
You’re probably wondering why I’m talking about pasta when the end of this page features a broccoli rabe. And the reason being is because as much pasta as my family has consumed over the years, we also make sure to eat our fruit and veggies. Both also make an appearance at every family function. One of our favorites is definitely rapini, or broccoli rabe as Americans would call it – ha!
Broccoli rabe is an Italian broccoli and my family cooks it twofold. We boil it in water to take some of the bitterness out and to tenderize the stems. Then we saute it with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. The simple seasoning makes it so flavorful and the olive oil gives it such a nice char when you saute it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Rapini is one vegetable I could eat with every meal.
If you end up making this broccoli rabe, don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!
Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
- Salt
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- Red pepper flakes
Directions
Rinse the rapini with cold water and set aside.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt to the pot and the rapini, making sure it’s all under the water. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the stems are fork tender.
Drain the rapini. In a large bowl, place a handful of ice and cold water to create an ice bath for the rapini. Place rapini in the bowl to let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Once cooled, remove the water from the bowl and squeeze the rapini with your hands until all of the water is removed from the vegetable. Set aside.
Place a medium or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant and add the rapini. Separating it with a spoon or tongs so that it covers the entire pan and cooks evenly.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper and a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes. Saute the rapini for 10-12 minutes, flipping and stirring every so often until slightly charred.
Marina Makes 