Raves for rapini:

Raves for rapini: This week, we finish our four-part look at some of the less-familiar vegetables in the supermarket

 

The green Italian vegetable known as rapini has as many names as the chicory cousins, which we dealt with last week. But there is no confusing rapini with anything else.

By The Calgary Herald
March 29, 2006


The green Italian vegetable known as rapini has as many names as the chicory cousins, which we dealt with last week. But there is no confusing rapini with anything else.

Brassica rapa, Ruvo group -- also known as broccoli raab, cima di rapa, ruvo kale, turnip broccoli and Italian turnip -- has its own uncompromising presence.
Rapini has been a presence in the New World since the early 1930s, when a breeding program was introduced by an Italian family of gardeners who recognized the plant as it grew wild in the ditches and fields of California.
Rapini sits firmly and aggressively on the bitter end of the flavour scale. Rapini is a pretty raw vegetable, but it is never eaten raw. Look for ruffled elegance like a flamenco dancer's dress, but choose all green, with no yellow. Elongated stalks are thin and tender, with densely clustered leaves and tiny buds. Look for stalks that have been newly severed, and no woody texture.
This vegetable is perishable, lasting only a few days in the fridge. Make the most of it by wrapping the bunch in paper towels before nesting it into a perforated plastic bag. Avoid storing rapini near fruits that ripen after harvest (apples, avocados, pears, melons, tropical fruit, plums). As they ripen, they exude ethylene gas, which will turn the rapini yellow.
Rapini is easy to prepare. Wash the bunch and discard any aged or faded leaves and buds, then trim and discard the stalks at their woodiest point. Then cut the entire bunch crosswise into short lengths of about an inch, maybe two.
Garlic and ginger are natural partners. So are spicy sausages, cured pork such as pancetta, hot chili flakes, black olives of the oil-cured variety and curry powder -- even sparing amounts of turmeric or cumin.
Lemon zest, a golden haze of finely grated yellow skin after the dish is cooked, adds a bit of balance and welcome colour. Use flavoured sweeteners with character to temper rapini's bitterness: honey, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup. Or rely on rapini's bitter edge to boost potatoes and pasta.
Cook rapini knowing its glowing colour will fade to drab in the pan. The flavour won't, though. If it seems too assertive, too pungent for your palate, blanch rapini in boiling water, then drain and rinse in cold water before carrying on.
Traditional cooks cook rapini by braising it until tender, flavoured with garlic and hot chili flakes in a bit of water or stock. Alternatively, steam or stir-fry, saute or boil, just as you would broccoli, only briefly.
Be prepared for shrinkage. One bunch of chopped rapini fills about 6 cups (1.5 L), but it condenses into about 2 cups when cooked, so be generous.


dee Hobsbawn-Smith is an author, writer, chef and poet.
dee@curiousocook.net




Braised Rapini and Garlic with Balsamic


Serve this traditional combination as a side dish or on pasta.  It makes a natural partner for spicy Italian sausages, steamed or grilled.


2 to 4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise


olive oil for the pan


1 onion, sliced3 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

1 bunch rapini, washed and chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) water or stock


1/2 cup (125 mL) oil-cured black olives


zest of 1 lemon


hot chili flakes to taste

drizzle of balsamic vinegar


salt and pepper to taste


toasted pine nuts for garnish

Saute bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat until all fat is rendered out. Add enough oil to lubricate the pan, then add onion and garlic.
Cook until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes, over medium heat.
Add rapini, water or stock and olives. Cover and simmer until rapini is tender to the bite, 8 to 15 minutes.
Add lemon zest, hot chili flakes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Mix well, then serve immediately. Garnish with pine nuts.
Serves 4.