Broccoli Rabe with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

If you’ve stayed away from broccoli rabe because it’s too bitter, this is the recipe for you. Broccoli rabe will always be broccoli’s bitter cousin but adding sun-dried tomatoes changes the entire flavor profile.

I started the way I always do with broccoli rabe – blanching it while onions are caramelizing on the stove. The addition of sun-drieds came from a desire to add some color – I’ll never go back to my old rabe again, unless I’m out of sun-drieds.

I’ve been buying sun-dried tomatoes in packages from Trader Joe’s. I used to always buy oil-packed sun-drieds in a jar, but I believe the packages are cheaper per ounce. If the tomatoes are too dry, you can plump them in warm oil or water. Mine have been fine for cooking straight out of the package.

Give broccoli rabe a chance. This recipe is addictive. There will be no leftovers, I can promise that.

Broccoli Rabe with Onions and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

You’ll need a large pan, pot for blanching the broccoli rabe, colander or slotted spoon, bowl with ice water, and paper or cloth towels for patting dry the rabe.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• Salt
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped (at least 1 teaspoon, I like a bit more)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, rinsed, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 ounces (or a few tablespoons) sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (drained) or dry, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onions and some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. If the onions start to dry out, lower the heat. You can also add a little water to them to prevent drying. When onions are done, add the chopped garlic and the red chile flakes. Cook until the garlic just begins to golden. Turn off the heat for now.

Meanwhile bring a pot filled at least half-way with water to a boil. When it comes to boil, add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water. Get a bowl ready with ice water. Blanch the rabe for only one minute, then drain in a colander or use a slotted spoon to remove the rabe from the hot water. Immediately dunk the rabe in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the rabe and pat dry with paper or cloth towels.

Return the pan with the onions to medium heat. Add the blanched broccoli rabe. Toss to coat with the olive oil, onions, garlic and chile flakes. Cook the rabe about 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle everything with salt, black pepper and the grated Parmesan cheese to taste. Toss to combine.

Parmesan & Lemon Roasted Broccoli

I’m happy to report that I now have two broccoli recipes in my regular rotation. If you regularly read my blog, you know I always make Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper, a stovetop recipe. The stove can get pretty cramped when there are a lot of big pans working, so I’m glad to have a back-up recipe for the oven.

And what a back-up it is, a contender for the number one spot. I found it on the Clare Cooks blog. She was inspired by an Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) recipe. It’s easy and quick – chop, toss, roast and toss.

The original recipe calls for pine nuts or almonds. I went with almonds because I had them, plus pine nuts are rather pricey. I’m not going to buy the cheaper Chinese pine nuts because, one, I prefer buying American, and two, there have been reports of people getting sick from Chinese nuts. The original recipe also gives an option for adding basil at the end. I no longer have any basil plants around so I omitted that, but I can imagine basil would complement the parmesan and lemon flavors.

The next time you buy broccoli, give this recipe a try, you’ll fall in love.

Parmesan & Lemon Roasted Broccoli 

You’ll need a large sealable plastic bag (0ptional) and large baking sheet or pan.

• 1-1/2 pounds of broccoli — I like to buy broccoli crowns and cut just a little of the stem end off, then create long broccoli ‘flowers’ (see what I mean in the photo)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
  
• 3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Here’s the deal with the ingredients: I’ve made this several times and I never measure. I think these amounts are from the original recipe at the Clare Cooks blog. I just grab three or four broccoli crowns and start sprinkling. Wing it!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If you don’t like getting your hands oily, place the broccoli, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Seal bag and shake to coat the broccoli. Spread out on the pan.

Or, toss the broccoli and olive oil on a sheet pan. Spread out on the pan and sprinkle with the garlic, salt and pepper.

Roast for 20-25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with lemon zest, lemon juice, almonds and Parmesan.

Original recipe: Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli, Clare Cooks

Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes

Get ready for a slew of winter squash recipes. Tis the season! Unfortunately, my guy’s not a big fan of winter squash, but maybe I can change him. Oh, how many women have uttered those words? He did come around on Brussels sprouts, so I’m not giving up yet.

I like roasting squash more than any other preparation, although I’m willing to have my mind changed on that. This is about the simplest and tastiest way I know to make butternut squash.

The most challenging part is peeling the squash. I trim the ends off and cut the squash crosswise into more manageable pieces, separating the fat bell end from the thinner neck. Sit the pieces on a cutting board, cut side down, and with a sharp knife, slice off the peel. I’ve tried peeling butternut with a peeler but I find this way much easier.

Once your squash is peeled, all you have to do is cut it into 1” squares, toss it with oil and your choice of spices or herbs, some crushed garlic and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. I went with rosemary this time, but feel free to play around with what you have on hand.

Sage and thyme are also good herb choices. Sometimes I add cayenne, ground chipotle pepper or smoked paprika. Next time I may toss it with a little maple syrup. Mmmm. And what about a bit of bacon or pancetta?

I haven’t tried roasting other winter squash like this, if I do I’ll report back here. What’s your favorite way to cook butternut squash? Do you roast other winter squash this way?

Where's the rosemary? Photo by Fimb/Flickr

Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes

You’ll need a rimmed sheet or baking pan.

• Butternut squash, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• Olive oil
• 1-2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• A few cloves of garlic, trimmed and smooshed
• Salt and pepper
• Options: cayenne pepper, ground chipotle, smoked paprika, bacon, pancetta or maple syrup
  

Preheat oven to 400. Spread the cubed squash out onto the sheet pan to make sure it all fits in one layer. If not, get out another pan. Toss the squash with oil, rosemary and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until squash is tender, but not mooshy, about 30 minutes. Give it a toss after 15 minutes so more sides have a chance to get some pan time. Don’t worry if it caramelizes a bit, like in the photo, that makes it even tastier.

Green Beans with Mushrooms & Tarragon

It’s so easy to cook vegetables the same way all the time, especially when you find a recipe you like. I need to break out of my Broccoli with Garlic & Hot Pepper and Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika & Onions rut, but it will be difficult to do that until I find another fantastic recipe for those two vegetables.

I picked up some green beans one night because I don’t buy them enough. I wanted something green and they looked really fresh, for a change. Then I made a visit to Harris Teeter’s discount produce rack. You know how I love a good discount produce rack. For $1 I got a good-sized bag of mixed mushrooms – cremini, shiitake and oyster. They still looked okay, but probably didn’t have long to live. No problem, I would use them that night. My green bean dish was turning into a mushroom dish.

I knew I had tarragon and shallots in the refrigerator already. Soon a preparation started coming together in my mind. I winged it and it worked. The first time I made this it was really heavy on the mushrooms, more like Mushrooms with Green Beans and Tarragon. But I made it again with normal proportions.

If you don’t have tarragon, try substituting basil, thyme or marjoram. Fresh is best, but if you can’t find fresh, use a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of dried. Taste to see if you want to add more.

Photo by F. Delventhal (Flickr/krossbow)

Green Beans with Mushrooms and Tarragon

You’ll need a large skillet with lid.

• Olive oil
• 4 oz mushrooms, any type, sliced (about 1/2 a small package)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large shallot, minced
• 3/4 pound of green beans
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (plus extra just in case)
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add mushrooms and sauté a few minutes, until they’re starting to soften a bit. Add garlic and shallots. Sauté 1 minute, or until the garlic starts to golden.

Add green beans and toss it all together. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring. Add chicken broth and tarragon. Simmer until liquid evaporates or green beans are crisp-tender, whichever comes first.

If you’d like to cook your beans longer, add a bit more broth and cover the skillet for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sauteed Kale with Smoked Paprika and Onions

Here’s a house favorite. Since discovering this recipe on Simply Recipes, I’ve been incapable of making kale any other way. It’s a big hit in our household, even with someone, not me, who never liked kale before.

The ingredient amounts are merely suggestions. After you make this once, you’ll be comfortable buying any amount of kale and adjusting the onions and spices. One of these days I’m going to try adding chipotle to the onions; I’ll omit the smoked paprika when I do that. I’ll update the blog to let you know how chipotle works out.

To prepare the kale, I fold a leaf in half lengthwise, so the center rib is along the edge. With a small knife I cut down from the stem alongside the rib until I get to the point where the rib becomes thin enough to eat. In one cut, I remove the center rib this way. Compost (or toss) the ribs and stems. I bake leftover chard stems and ribs in a dish with olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese. I suppose you could do the same with kale stems and ribs.

I toss the leaves as I go into a large bowl of cold water to wash away any soil. Once rinsed clean, I chop the leaves into manageable pieces.

Why am I determined to push this kale dish on you? Because it’s so delicious, plus anything that dark green has to be good for you. Alexander Moysaenko at Poor Taste Magazine can tell you all about the vitamins and minerals in kale and give you a bit of its history too.

If you still aren’t sure about this recipe, here’s an idea: mix it with mashed potatoes. I would eat that for breakfast.

I'll replace this photo by Amy Stephenson with one of mine the next time I make this kale, promise.

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika & Onions

You’ll need a large pot with lid, large bowl for rinsing, colander and a large deep pan.

• 1 pound kale, stems and center ribs cut away, rinsed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, sweet or hot
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the chopped kale. Cook until wilted, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the smoked paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the kale and sauté for several more minutes, until tender. Sprinkle on more salt and smoked paprika to taste.

Original recipe: Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika, Simply Recipes

Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper

This recipe is the one I’ve referred to in many other posts as “my go-to broccoli recipe.” It’s about time I share it. It’s sooo easy to make and always turns out well unless you overcook it and end up with olive green broccoli. It’s happened to this distracted cook!

You can adapt the amount of crushed red pepper and garlic depending on your tolerance for heat and garlic breath. There’s one thing I do want to set straight here: garlic breath is not bad breath, it’s just garlic breath.

I don’t measure when I make this recipe. I use the amount of broccoli I have on hand and just wing the rest. The recipe is very cook-friendly. Feel free to add other vegetables, like mushrooms (as in my photo below) or red bell pepper.

If you normally throw out (or compost) your broccoli stems, shame on you! Seriously, don’t throw them out; try cooking them this way. Don’t worry, they taste like broccoli. We add broccoli florets to our salads and I save the stems so I can add them to this dish.

If this doesn’t grab your interest, here are some other broccoli dishes from my past:

• Spicy Broccoli with Ginger and Garlic
• Broccoli al Pesto
• Light Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
• Cheesy Broccoli Potato Mash

Broccoli with Red Pepper Flakes and Toasted Garlic

You’ll need a large skillet with lid.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Broccoli florets and stems – florets chopped into fork-size pieces and stems sliced into ¼” pieces (about 1 head)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1-½ teaspoons fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1-½ teaspoons fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
• Optional – grated Parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, salt, red pepper, basil, thyme and garlic. Sauté a few minutes. It’s okay if the broccoli caramelizes (gets a bit brown), it adds to the flavor.

Add 1/4 cup water or broth. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for a few minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender (or however you prefer it). If the pan is drying out too much and you’d like to cook the broccoli longer, add a bit more liquid for extra steaming time.

Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving, if you wish.

Original recipe: Broccoli with Red Pepper Flakes and Toasted Garlic, Cooking Light, March 2007

Haricots Verts with Shallots and Tomatoes

“Haricots verts” means “green beans” in French. But when we say haricots verts here in the U.S., we’re referring to very thin green beans. They’re usually a lot more expensive than regular green beans. My supermarket sells them in little 8 ounce bags in the refrigerated case alongside the bags of salad and pre-cut vegetables.

Once again, I didn’t have any firm ideas about a vegetable for dinner. Even though it was 100 degrees out we were having beef stew from the freezer for dinner. I made it in the spring for just this kind of emergency night. I had a crazy day and still had to pack for a road trip to my cousin’s wedding weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Dinner had to be a quick brainless affair. I picked up two hefty sweet potatoes to cook in the microwave – 12 minutes, done! – but still needed a veg.

Well, you know how I love a bargain. I noticed deep-discount price stickers on the packages of haricots verts. Jackpot! An 8 ounce bag for only 70 cents.

This recipe will take your kitchen to France — butter, shallots and tomatoes all blending together in such goodness. We gobbled the beans up. Perhaps a little too sophisticated for my hearty peasant beef stew, but it worked. These beans would be fantastic with fish or a light chicken dish, especially simply prepared ones with lemon and/or breadcrumbs. Add a crispy glass of sauvignon blanc, ahhh….

Haricots Verts with Shallots

You’ll need a pot with lid, bowl for ice bath and colander.

• 1/2 pound of haricots verts, ends snipped off
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 small shallots, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons diced tomato

Put a pot of well-salted water on high heat. Prepare an ice bath – a bowl large enough for the beans, lots of ice and water. Add beans to the boiling water. Boil for 3-1/2 minutes. Immediately drain beans in a colander and then put them into the ice bath. When they’re cooled down, drain them again.

In the same empty pot melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until they’re just translucent, not browned, about 1-2 minutes. Add the drained and cooled beans, tomatoes and the other tablespoon of butter. Reheat the beans in the butter and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Original recipe: Haricot Vert with Shallots, Smitten Kitchen

Forgot to take a photo, but here, pretend you're in France. (photo by Michael Clarke)

Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions

I often find myself in the supermarket with a shopping list that says “green veg.” This lack of specificity means I didn’t look in my laptop’s folders: Recipes/Make Next/Sides/Vegetables and Recipes/Cookbook/Sides/Vegetables . Why are you snickering? Doesn’t everyone have folders like that? Nor did I look at my bookmarks, Google Reader’s food blog subscriptions, magazines or cookbooks. I don’t have a vegetable plan, arggh!

I stand there in the produce aisle scanning the bins. Ah, broccoli, there you are, my old friend. I imagine a later conversation, “Yes, honey, we’re having broccoli again tonight, it’s good for us, and it was on sale.” He knows how I like a sale. But, it’s true, we both make broccoli far too often.

Sometimes I resist broccoli’s call and make my way over to a different section of produce where I spot my beloved’s Italian cousin. Although more expensive than his popular relative, broccoli rabe charms his way into my cart.

Also known as rapini, broccoli rabe has a stronger and more bitter taste than broccoli. With smaller florets, thinner stalks and more leaves, it’s a completely different eating experience, one that I prefer.

This recipe from the Simply Recipes blog has been my go-to broccoli rabe preparation since I found it. The sweetness of the onions contrasts with the bitterness (in a good way) of the broccoli rabe. If you take the time to blanch the broccoli rabe first, you’ll preserve its bright green color.

Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions

You’ll need a large pan, large pot with lid, large bowl for ice bath, slotted spoon or colander, clean dishtowel or salad spinner

• Olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, rinsed and cut into 2-inch long pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Salt and black pepper

Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. If the onions start to dry out, lower the heat (you can add a little water to them too.) They should brown, but not get dried out.

After you start the onions, if you plan to blanch, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water — about 1 tablespoon of salt per 3 quarts of water. Prepare an ice bath — a large bowl filled halfway with ice water. Add the rabe to the boiling water. Blanch (boil) for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the rabe from the boiling water or dump into a colander (my preference). Then immediately put the rabe into the ice bath to stop the cooking – this also helps preserve its bright green color. Remove the rabe from the ice bath once it’s cooled down. Wring out the excess moisture from the rabe or spin it in a salad spinner (my preference).

Once the onions are lightly browned, remove them from the pan. Using the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil and heat the pan on high heat. Add the chili flakes. Once the chili flakes start to sizzle, add the garlic. Once the garlic just starts to turn golden, add the broccoli rabe and onions. Toss the rabe mixture so that it gets well coated with the olive oil. Cook on high heat until most of the moisture is gone, about 5 minutes if you blanched first, a minute or too longer if you skipped the blanching.

Original recipe: Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions, Simply Recipes

Eggplant Caponata

Here’s another wow-oh-my-god-I-looove this recipe. I made it last Saturday afternoon. We noshed on it while watching Cliff Lee (Phillies pitcher) hit a home run. Yes, I said pitcher, and yes, he hit the ball, and yes, it was a freaking home run! What a moment! Despite myself, I’m becoming quite a baseball fan. Who would’ve thunk it?

I’ve had caponata on my weekend snack list for a while. In the early evening Friday while doing a little beer and wine shopping at my Lowes Foods, I checked out their discount produce rack. I love the treasure hunt aspect of this rack. Sometimes it contains really scary looking stuff or it’s bare, but occasionally I hit the jackpot.

Once again the produce buyer must have gone wild with the red bell peppers because they had a cart full of them – packages of three for $1.59. Score! I also spied a package of assorted skinny eggplants for less than a buck. At last, caponata!

I’ve only had caponata a few times but really love it. A restaurant in the DC area served it alongside homemade breadsticks to every table. Maybe Paolo’s? It has a strangely sweet yet hearty flavor. I could easily eat a bowl for dinner.

Next time I’m going to chop the vegetable even more finely so the caponata spreads more easily. I added red bell pepper to the recipe because I had so many in house and I thought they would add nice color and flavor to the recipe. And I added garlic because, well, just because. I also added fresh oregano because my oregano plant is growing ten times faster than I can use it. You could also add more olives (green or black). Caponatas I’ve had in the past were heavier on the olives than this recipe. I thought the rest of the original recipe’s ingredient ratios worked well.

Give this a try. It’s a healthy alternative to a creamy dip and just think of all the vitamins you’re getting. Pour a glass of sangria, grab a baguette and start chopping!

Eggplant Caponata

• Olive oil
• 1-1/2 pounds of eggplant, peeled, cut into 1/2” pieces (or smaller)
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano (or more), or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small red onion, chopped (almost 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup (or more) chopped red bell pepper
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1-1/2 tablespoons (or more) chopped green or black olives (I used Kalamata black olives)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce or puree
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Baguette, sliced (optional – toasted)

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the eggplant, oregano and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl.

Add the onion, red bell pepper and more oil, if needed, to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until just beginning to golden. Return the eggplant to the skillet. Stir in the capers, olives and balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar has evaporated. Add the tomato sauce and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl to cool. We ate it lukewarm because we couldn’t wait. It’s also fine just out of the refrigerator.

Serve the caponata on slices of baguette. It can be refrigerated for up to three days.

Original recipe: Eggplant Caponata Crostini, Food & Wine, January 2007

Summer Vegetables with Pesto

Pesto lives in our freezer all year long thanks to my diligent harvesting of our basil plants throughout the summer and into the fall. Yet I tend to cook more with pesto in the summer. Pesto is summer. I’m always amazed at how damn good it tastes.

We only have three basil plants this year. Hopefully I’ll get enough pesto out of them to last until next summer. We’re still using last fall’s pesto so I’ve got a bit of a cushion.

Here’s a recipe that makes an appearance on our table at least every other week in the summer.

Photo of basil by Isaac Wedin

Summer Vegetables with Pesto

I make this recipe so often in the summer that I don’t really think of it in recipe terms. Like many Italian-style dishes I make, I don’t measure ingredients, but here’s an approximation of what I did last night.

You’ll need a large skillet.

• Olive oil
• 3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, then into 1/4” slices
• 2 summer squash, sliced lengthwise, then into 1/4” slices
• 6-8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
• Salt
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• Kernels from 2 cobs of corn
• 4 ice cubes of frozen pesto, thawed, or 1/4-1/3 cup of prepared pesto (guessing at that amount)

Other options:

• What else do you have in the refrigerator that would work? Last night I had a broccoli stem after using the florets for salad. I chopped that up and added it to the pan. Roasted eggplant also works well in this dish.
• My pesto has garlic in it so I don’t feel the need to add any more to the pan, but if you’re garlic crazy, you might feel differently.
• Do you want a little heat? Add some red pepper flakes.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add zucchini, squash, mushrooms and a sprinkling of salt to the pan. Sauté until vegetables are just beginning to soften. Stir in tomatoes and corn, and sauté until tomatoes are beginning to soften. Stir in pesto and take off the heat.