No, not that kind of green. Not, y'know, environmental green, though I have nothing against the earth and trying to save it. But this green week is a literal green week. One green ingredient a day, celebrated.
Today? Broccoli rabe.
I'd heard of broccoli rabe before moving to Philly, but I'd never actually cooked with it, and I'm not even sure I'd even eaten it. Oh -- wait -- yes I had. On Roberto Donna's pizza, back when he did the intensely popular Galileo Grill in DC. One guy next to me in line said his mother called broccoli rabe "the Italian national flower." And indeed, Italian cooking is where you'll most often see it. With sausage and pasta, usually. Or here in Philadelphia, on the city's best sandwich, DiNic's roast pork at the Reading Terminal Market.
(Get it with aged provolone too, or you're missing out. Here endeth the lesson.)
It's a bitter green and not for everyone. You can't just throw it in a stir-fry or a salad, like other vegetables. It's special.
I usually steam it in a small amount of water for, say, five minutes, then drain, and saute in some kind of awesome fat -- olive oil, butter, Niman Ranch bacon fat, your choice -- and then add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
And then, because sometimes you don't need to invent new flavor combinations when the perfect one already exists, I serve it in a sandwich with aged provolone and roast pork.
Mmmmm.
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