Season 2009 - Week 4 - Produce Highlight - Brocolli Rabe

About Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli Rabe (pronounced Broccoli Rob) is also referred to as rabe or rapini. This is another leafy green vegetable that is frequently eaten in Southern Italy and has become popular in the United States. The vegetable has a slightly bitter taste and is frequently steamed or lightly sauteed in olive oil.

The Broccoli Rabe flower looks similar to the broccoli florets. Despite the name this plant is not a type of broccoli but it is in the same brassica family. One of the many health benefits of this vegetable is that it is rich in certain phytochemicals, including sulforaphane and indoles. These are chemicals which are proving to protect us against cancer.

Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

(Makes 2-4 servings, depending on what you're serving with it. Recipe adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop.)

1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 4 cups washed greens)
1 T olive oil (or more, depending on your pan)
3-4 large cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I used my favorite sun-dried tomatoes for this dish.)
1 T toasted pine nuts
pinch of Aleppo Pepper or your favorite hot pepper flakes
sea salt to season if desired

Wash Broccoli Rabe and spin dry in salad spinner or dry with paper towels. Slice garlic cloves into thin slices. You could rinse sun-dried tomatoes with hot water to remove some of the oil if desired, but I didn't rinse mine.

With stove on medium-high, heat olive oil in large wok or frying pan with deep sides. Add garlic slices and saute about 30 seconds (just long enough to get the garlic flavor in the olive oil, don't let the garlic brown at this point or it will get bitter.) Add broccoli rabe and saute about 2 minutes, until starting to wilt. Add sun-dried tomatoes and hot pepper flakes and saute 2-3 minutes more, until tomatoes are hot and slightly softened and broccoli raab is tender.

While broccoli rabe is cooking, heat pine nuts for 1-2 minutes in dry pan over high heat. They should be barely starting to brown.

Arrange broccoli rabe on serving dish and sprinkle with pine nuts. Season with sea salt if desired and serve hot.

Season 2009 - Week 4 - Recipe - Green Frittata

1 lb. bok choy, chopped
1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped
1 lb. zucchini, diced
1/2 c. butter
1 clove garlic (I use 6)
1/2 c. rice, cooked
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
Dash of salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mince garlic and saute in butter until flavored. Add 3 greens, saute until crisp-tender. (Hint: Use large pan, add zucchini and bok choy first then cover with spinach and steam for a few minutes.) Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Pour into well greased 8 inch pan. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until set. Makes 4-6 servings. A great way to sneak your vegetables to the table.

Season 2009 - Week 4 - Produce List

• Baby lettuce
• Garlic scapes
• Baby carrots
• Green cabbage
• Japanese turnips
• Broccoli rabe
• Summer squash
• Bok choi

Season 2009 - Week 3 - Recipe Lacinata Kale with caramelized onions from Emeril

Lacinata Kale is the elegant sister to the curly, green kale.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 large sweet onions or white onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds Lacinata kale, middle stems removed, leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions
In a large saute pan, over medium heat add the olive oil; when hot add the onion and cook until the onion is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook for another 4 minutes or until the onions are soft and caramelized.
Add the kale to the pan, raise the heat to medium high. Add the chicken stock, salt and red pepper; cook, stirring until the kale begins to wilt, 4 minutes. Continue to cook until most of the chicken stock has evaporated and the kale is tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Season 2009 - Week 3 - Produce Highlight - Napa Cabbage

What is Napa Cabbage?

Napa cabbage (Brassica rapa pekinensis) is a member of the cabbage family that originated in China several millennia ago. It is also known by the names Chinese cabbage, celery cabbage, and Peking cabbage.
Napa cabbage grows in a compact, elongated head; the crinkled oblong leaves are wrapped tightly in an upright cylinder. The leaves of this cabbage are light green, and the stalk area below the leaves is lighter still, a pale green approaching white.
The flavor of Napa cabbage is somewhat milder and a bit sweeter than that of regular green cabbage. It is delicious raw or cooked, and can be substituted for regular cabbage in most recipes.
Napa cabbage has been grown in China since around the fifteenth century. It is an extremely popular vegetable in China today, partly due to its versatility. In Korea, which has also been cultivating Napa cabbage for centuries, it is pickled, salted, and flavored with ginger and chili peppers to make kim chi, the national dish of Korea. Napa cabbage was introduced to North America from China toward the latter part of the nineteenth century. Today, it is cultivated in countries all over the world.

Season 2009 - Week 3 - Recipe Kimchi

2 1/2 pounds napa cabbage

Did You Know?
Korean families traditionally store fermented kimchi in large earthenware crocks, burying the containers underground and retrieving them as needed.

• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• a walnut-sized knob of ginger, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bunch scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons crushed red chili pepper
• 2 jalapeños, minced fine


• a glass or plastic bowl
• 2 to 3 1-pint glass canning jars
• plastic wrap
• rubber bands

What Do I Do?

1. Wash the cabbage, then chop it coarsely. Toss it in a glass bowl with the salt and let it sit overnight. Did You Know?
Salt extracts water from kimchi by osmosis, making it crisp.
2. Drain the water off the cabbage and rinse it very well to remove the excess salt.

3. In a large glass or plastic bowl (don’t use metal), mix together the ginger, chili peppers, and jalapeños, and then add the well-drained cabbage. Toss the ingredients thoroughly to coat the vegetables. Save the juice that accumulates in the bottom of the bowl. Did You Know?
The garlic and chili pepper help to preserve kimchi.

4. Pack the mixture tightly in sterile glass jars and cover with the juice. Add water if necessary to acheive 3/4-inch headroom. Cover the tops of the jars with plastic wrap, secured with a rubber band. Keep the kimchi in the refrigerator for 3 days before eating.

FOOD, INC. at Film Forum in New York City

FOOD, INC. at Film Forum in New York City

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