Sautéed Rapini Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook rapini so it is not bitter? ›

Blanching is key to making rapini/broccoli rabe less bitter. You can blanch it in a pot of boiling water for 60 to 90 seconds or steam it with a little water for a few minutes in a covered skillet before sauteeing. Both methods work well, but I prefer to boil it first.

You can also blanch the rapini, and then sauté it in olive oil and garlic and top it with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Rapini also takes well to the grill. Toss with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put directly on a the grill for a couples minutes per side.

Rapini or broccoli rabe (/rɑːb/) is a green cruciferous vegetable, with the leaves, buds, and stems all being edible; the buds somewhat resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. Rapini is known for its bitter taste, and is particularly associated with Mediterranean cuisine.

All parts of rapini are edible - the stems, the leaves, the buds and even the flowers.

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

Broccoli rabe's bitter flavor comes from chemical compounds known as glucosinolates, which are found in other bitter greens like kale, collard greens, and mustard greens.

Rapini contains two grams of fibre for every cup. Specifically, the fibre in rapini is soluble fibre, which slows transit and digestion time in the GI tract. Soluble fibre dissolves in water to form a gel-like material that lowers blood cholesterol and glucose levels.

In fact, the leafy, cruciferous vegetable is closely related to the turnip. The deliciously bitter stems, leaves, and nutty, broccoli-esque buds are all edible, easy to cook, and often sautéed, braised, and roasted in Italian dishes.

Broccoli rabe offers a potent dose of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, including antioxidants and phytochemicals, shown to lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and help reduce cancer risk. Furthermore, broccoli rabe offers powerful anti-inflammatory nutrients, such as folate and vitamin C.

Considered a cruciferous vegetable like Brussels sprouts, kale and (of course) broccoli, broccoli rabe is a dark green vegetable in the turnip family. It's sometimes spelled raab and also goes by a few different names: rapini, rapa, rappi, rappone and turnip broccoli.

What nationality is rapini? ›

Rapini is a descendant of a wild mustard plant and was selectively bred since ancient times for improved flavor and texture. The origins of Rapini are heavily debated, with some experts tracing it to the Mediterranean region, specifically Southern Italy, while other experts link it to China.

Rapini or Broccoli Raab (also spelled Rabe; pronounced “rob”) is a green cruciferous vegetable. This vegetable resembles small heads of broccoli and is associated, particularly, with Italian, Galician and Portuguese cuisines. Small edible yellow flowers may be blooming among the buds.

Rapini generally has two seasons — late fall and winter, for varieties planted in the late summer/early fall; and late spring/early summer, for varieties planted in the early spring. Cool weather, especially after a first frost, just makes it more delicious.

Early rapini tastes like broccoli stems crossed with clove and spinach. These small, young florets are delicious and sweet, and I prefer them to the more-often-harvested, more mature rapini, which have the traditional intense bitter tang.

You can enjoy broccoli rabe either cooked or in its raw form, depending on your taste. Just keep in mind that the bitter taste may be more evident if you eat it raw. Broccoli rabe is widely used in Italian and Asian dishes and is typically either cooked or sauteed.

However, rapini is even more versatile in the kitchen than broccoli, with a greater proportion of edible leaves and stems than the standard broccoli head.

Lastly, we have broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, which is not a broccoli derivative at all and is instead more closely related to the turnip. It's a bitter green, similar to a mustard green, with thin stalks, little buds, and lots and lots of leaves.