"sf" > wrote in message
news
> On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 20:06:08 -0500, "Dee Randall"
> <deedoveyatshenteldotnet> wrote:
>
>> When you make broccoli rabe with penne, you will not have an extra pot
>> to
>> clean, because you use the pot that you blanched the rabe in to cook
>> your
>> penne in.
>> I was very skeptical about these instructions, so my husband made it. We
>> have used this recipe numerable times and have not had bitterness with
>> the
>> rabe.
>>
>> "In a large pot, heat salted water to boiling. Meanwhile, rinse Broccoli
>> Rabe and drain. Trim bottoms of stems. Cut stalks crosswise into 2-inch
>> pieces. Drop Broccoli Rabe into boiling salted water and blanch for 1-2
>> minutes. Lift Broccoli Rabe out with slotted spoon and place in colander
>> or
>> strainer. Reserve water to cook the pasta."
>
> How do you finish it off?
>
> sf

If served as a side dish, sautee with olive oil & garlic, sometimes a little
grated Romano cheese moments before serving. Or, if it's going to be tossed
into the pasta, match it up with a tomato sauce that's a little on the sweet
side. You really have to experiment with this vegetable until you find out
how much you want to fiddle with its taste. As you see from this thread,
some people find the bitterness unattractive, and others don't.

You also need to be flexible and think like a gardener. This vegetable's
bitterness will vary with the seasons, length of storage, etc. No different
than other temperature-sensitive stuff like swiss chard & arugula. Rinse off
a piece & taste it before cooking. After a few times doing this, you'll
probably get good at noticing the variation in bitterness. It's worth the
effort, usually, unless you just hate it no matter what. :-)