Crispy Rapini Recipes

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.

RAPINI AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat garlic in oil over medium heat in a large skillet until garlic sizzles in oil. Add the rapini, as much as you can fit in pan at a time. Turn and coat with oil as you wilt the greens. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes to soften the bitterness of the greens.

CHICKEN AND RAPINI PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Trim thick stems off rapini and coarsely chop.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rapini, return to a boil, and cook until stems are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain completely. Save the pot of water to cook the penne in.
• Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add rapini and white wine; cook until the wine is reduced by half.
• Meanwhile, return the pot of water to a boil. Add penne and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain penne, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water.
• Add the penne to the pan with the rapini. Add chicken, reserved cooking water, and chicken bouillon. Continue to cook until penne is tender yet firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Divide among serving bowls and serve with remaining cheese.

RAPINI WITH GARLIC & CHILI FLAKES

Steps:

• Chop off bottom inch of stalks.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Add rapini.
• Return to boil and boil about two to three minutes or until crisp-tender.
• Drain.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
• Add garlic, pepper flakes and rapini.
• Toss together for a minute or two, reduce heat, cover pan and cook three minutes.
• Remove cover, season and serve.

GARLIC RAPINI AND PASTA

Steps:

• Start by taking the rapini and removing any yellow leaves, (if they exist); Chop off the ends of the stalks about 1/2 inch to get rid of any dry tips.
• Now fill your sink with cold water and let the leaves soak in the water, moving them around, to remove any debris between them and also clean them; you will get to cook them a little later.
• Take a large pot, I use one about 16" high; Fill the pot with 3/4 water and add 2 tbsp of salt; Bring the water to a boil on your stove.
• Drain rapini from cold water and then add them to boiling water.
• You must cook them until they get soft; Continue boiling for at least 1/2 hr (until tender).
• Strain rapini from boiling water; Take rapini and try the best you can to squeeze out the water from the cooked bunch; This could take some muscle work but will be well worth it when you mix it with the other ingredients later; (Use a heavy spoon to press the cooked rapini into the strainer); Continue until most water is squeezed out; You should be able to roll the rapini into a ball now; Put rapini aside until later.
• Take your garlic head and peel all of the cloves off, (remove skins).
• Using a garlic presser, crush each clove until the entire garlic head has been processed.
• Take half of your olive oil and heat it in a large skillet.
• Sauté the pressed/crushed garlic in the hot oil until the garlic begins to brown.
• Add the rapini by breaking it into chunks, and spread it out over the surface to the garlic oil, in the skillet.
• Add the remainder of your olive oil and continue to sauté the garlic, rapini and oil until the rapini has soaked up the olive oil; (about 10 min).
• Boil the rotini pasta until it is the softness you desire, note: Add some salt to the boiling water while cooking the rotini, (pinch).
• Strain cooked rotini and place back into pan.
• Mix margarine, cayenne pepper, black pepper and romano cheese until the rotini is well coated.
• Add garlic rapini and oil from skillet into pan, over the rotini; Mix until the rotini is well coated.
• Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese; Enjoy!