The old-school grand-mom secret about broccoli rabe is this: Cook it! Professional chefs want all of your vegetables to show up bright and green on your plate, so we blanch them first in hot boiling water, then shock the heck out of them in an ice-cold bath before sautéing them. But you’ve probably noticed, if broccoli rabe is served bright and green, it’s almost always tough and bitter. You want to get it to the point where it is almost mooshad, which is Italian-American slang for “mushy.” The Italians call it stracotto. And cooking it this way makes it sweet and so tender that you can spread it on a sandwich (I layer it on a roasted pork and provolone sandwich at Little Owl), mix it with scrambled eggs, toss it with leftover pasta, spread it on toast, or adorn a huge slice of Mom-Mom Pizza (page 42).
SERVES 4 TO 6
1/2 cup [120 ml] olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
11/2 lb [680 g] broccoli rabe, tough ends slightly trimmed but leaves left intact, cut into thirds
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lemon, cut into wedges
In a large skillet over high heat, warm the olive oil and add the garlic, cooking until the oil around the garlic starts to bubble and some (but not all) of the garlic pieces are lightly toasted and brown, about 11/2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe, salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, so that the garlic is no longer on the bottom of the skillet but is incorporated into the broccoli rabe so that it doesn’t burn. Lower the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the red pepper flakes, stir, turn the heat to low, and cook covered (only lifting the lid to stir now and then), about 20 minutes more. The lid traps the steam, cooking the broccoli rabe to a tender, almost “mooshad” consistency and fading that bright green bitter look to a sweeter, big love grayish green.
Transfer to a serving platter, place the lemon wedges along the dish, and serve immediately. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
