Rapini And Garlic Recipes

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.

FUSILLI WITH RAPINI (BROCCOLI RABE), GARLIC, AND TOMATO WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the broccoli rabe, sprinkle in some salt, and bring the salted water to a boil. Stir in the broccoli rabe, and cook until bright green and just starting to become tender, about 2 minutes; drain the rabe, and cool in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Fill a pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the fusilli, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the 2 roughly-chopped garlic cloves until they start to turn translucent, about 2 minutes; sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and stir in rosemary sprig, dried Italian herb mix, and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Stir in the blanched rabe, white wine, and tomatoes; remove rosemary sprig, and bring the mixture to a boil. Mix in the cooked fusilli pasta, green onions, and 1 minced clove of garlic; simmer for 1 more minute, and serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

RAPINI (BROCCOLI RABE) WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Fill a large pot about 2/3 full with salted water, enough to cover the rapini when you add it later. Place the pot on the stove with high heat and cover it.
• Rinse the greens well in cold water to remove any dirt. Cut off the bottom four inches of broccoli rabe stems. If you still have some stems that are thick, you can remove the leaves from them to use and then discard the thick stems. See notes for an easy way to remove the leaves as in Naples.
• Peel the garlic and slice it thinly, then set it aside.
• When the water is boiling, add the rapini to the pot. Wait for the water to come to a boil again, and when it does, leave the greens in for one minute longer. Drain the broccoli rabe and let it sit in the drainer in the sink.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and let it cook for a minute. Pat the rapini dry with a paper towel. Add the greens to the pan, turning them to coat with olive oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes or until done to your liking (stirring occasionally). Taste again for seasonings, and add red pepper flakes before serving.

GARLIC SAUTéED RAPINI

Steps:

• Wash rapini, trim stalks and pat dry.
• Heat olive oil and garlic on medium in a frying pan.
• Toss in rapini, hot chili flakes and sea salt and cover to wilt. Stir every few minutes and remove from heat once rapini is cooked (approximately 5 minutes).
• The more you cook the rapini the less bitter and softer it will become.

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!