The first vegetable I chose to cook with is Broccoli Rabe, a traditional Italian vegetable. I chose this particular vegetable because it is one that I have tried before and I know I like it. However, the only time I tried it was when it was sauteed with garlic and olive oil, so I decided to go for a bit more adventuresome recipe. Technically "bruschetta" refers to bread that has been basted with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. However, since the only way I had ever seen buschetta was topped with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and basil, I was under the apparently common misconception that bruschetta was the topping, not the bread. This was the first time I had ever seen a recipe for bruschetta topped with something other than the tomato mixture, so I was eager to try something unique.
I had hoped that this cooking adventure would be an educational experience for me, and so far I'm right! I LOVE Italian cuisine so I was happy to learn what bruschetta really is. Also, this experience has made me realize that I have more experience with broccoli rabe than I previously realized. When I was in 9th Grade, one of the requirements for my Honors Biology class was that all students write a research paper based on an experiment that we had to design and carry out, and then we had to submit our papers to the Virginia Junior Academy of Science for evaluation. Well I had no idea what I wanted to do research on, so instead of trying to be creative, I turned to a science supply catalog that my teacher had and basically ordered a "science experiment in a box" as I liked to call it. My research would be investigating the effect of acid precipitation on a plant that was called brassica rapa. I had no idea what this plant was and honestly I didn't care. I was just happy to finally have an idea for this experiment and happy to have all the supplies I needed to get started. (On a side note, the "science experiment in a box" also came with extra supplies for which I couldn't quite figure out the purpose. For example, I had two containers of dead honey bees. I'm pretty sure I still have them in my closet. Maybe my next experiment can be "The effect of 10 years on the bodies of dead honey bees"? I'm also pretty sure we still have bottles of nitric and sulfuric acid of various molarities in our garage. I feel like these things would be identified as peculiar should we have our house searched.)
Anyway, so to make a long story short (or is it too late?) I just found out through my research on broccoli rabe that brassica rapa, the plant on which I conducted my study, is actually broccoli rabe. Now I almost feel bad about soaking this yummy plant with nitric and sulfuric acid all those years ago. However, I should report that the acid did not have a significant effect on the plant's growth. So what's the lesson here? We should all learn to love broccoli rabe, because should acid rain prove to be a serious problem in the future and eliminate most plant life forms, broccoli rabe will most likely be able to endure the pollution.
So back to the cooking. Broccoli rabe is a vegetable that has a very bitter, pungent flavor. It is also rich in vitamins A (good for the eyes), C (gotta keep away that scurvy!), and K (aids in blood clotting), and potassium (necessary for the function of our cells), calcium (fights osteoporosis), and iron (used by hemoglobin in our red blood cells to transport oxygen from the lungs to our body tissues). The buds of its flowers closely resemble broccoli, hence its name. All parts of boccoli rabe can be eaten: stems, leaves, and flower buds.
The ingredient list for this recipe was not very extensive. All I needed was about a pound of broccoli rabe, olive oil, a baguette, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and ricotta cheese.
To start, cut the broccoli rabe stems into 1/4 inch pieces and coarsely chop the leaves. Preheat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 3 cloves of chopped or minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Saute until the garlic is softened but not quite brown (about a minute).
Add the chopped broccoli rabe and season with some salt. Cook until all of the leaves are wilted, about 10 minutes.
While the broccoli rabe is cooking, cut the baguette into 1/2 inch slices and brush on both sides with olive oil. Lightly salt. Pop in the oven under the broiler for about 2 minutes on each side, just until they are crunchy.
Spread the slices with ricotta cheese, and then top with the cooked broccoli rabe.
And that's it! This was a very simple recipe, but it ended up being quite delicious. As previously mentioned, broccoli rabe is very bitter on its own. However, the creamy ricotta on the bread really tempered the bitterness. I love garlic, but I have to say that the three cloves this recipe called for only created a mild garlic flavor. If you really love garlic, I'd recommend adding a little bit more. Also, the recipe was called "Spicy" Broccoli Rabe, but the 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes didn't make it very spicy at all. If you like spicy foods I'd say to add more red pepper flakes to really increase the heat.
Yummy! Even if I sub out the cheese with garlic infused tofu/soy sour cream. Maybe hummus. I've never had brocoli rabe. Something new to try!
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