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Pasta with Garlic Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
Difficulty Level Easy
I can remember many years ago, when I first encountered broccoli rabe, (or rapini, as it is also known), I didn't know what to do with it. It looked a bit like broccoli, but it clearly wasn't. The individual heads were significantly smaller than broccoli and there was a lot more foliage, but it looked interesting, so I decided to try it.
I called my neighbour Sue, who was a fantastic cook and a fount of information on food, gardening and child rearing and was always incredibly generous to me sharing meals, plants, and babysitting. I figured if anyone knew what to do with this stuff, she would. Coming, as I do, from a family of cooks who never met a mushy vegetable they didn't like, I asked if you boil it, like broccoli. Sue was born in Italy and didn't boil anything except pasta. No, no she said, it's a bitter green, sautee it in olive oil and garlic and put it on pasta, you'll love it. And we did. It has become one of my husbands favourite dinners.
Sue died of cancer at the young age of 55, four years ago this week and I miss her pretty much every single day. I never cook broccoli rabe without thinking of her.
INGREDIENTS
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 2 cloves | of garlic, smashed |
| 1 bunch | of broccoli rabe, both heads and leaves, roughly chopped |
| linguini for 4 | |
| juice of 1 lemon | |
| hot pepper flakes (optional) | |
| 1/2 cup | chicken or vegetable stock (optional) |
| salt and pepper to taste | |
| Parmesan cheese | |
PREPARATION:
- Cook linguini in a large pot of water until al dente.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok heat olive oil until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn, or it will be bitter. Remove garlic and set aside.
- Remove and discard the tough stems from the broccoli rabe, and roughly chop the rest. Add washed (but not dried) broccoli rabe to the skillet. The oil will spit significantly when the water from the broccoli rabe hits it, so do this carefully. When the spitting has died down, stir the broccoli rabe as it wilts and cook until it is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
- If you want a more liquid sauce, add some stock at this point. We like it drier, so I rarely add stock, but I might add a bit more olive oil. Add the lemon juice and stir to incorporate. Add the hot pepper flakes if you are using.Serve over pasta and pass the salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese, as well as a bit of lemon to squeeze over the pasta.
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