A Hardcore Food Addiction: Broccolini

You Know You’re Foodie When

• You drive over 2 hours to get to a location to find a specific ingredient.


• You shop more than once a week at the grocery store.


• You shop at more than one grocery/market in one week.


• You have over five kitchen gadgets that you use.


• You never leave Bed, Bath, and Beyond without buying something for your kitchen.


• You own more cookbooks than you do novels.


• You have an updated cooking blog.


• Your child’s boxed lunch doesn’t consist of a simple PB&J.


• You irk your family members when you ask them to hold off eating until you take enough pictures.


• You purchased an expensive camera most prominently for snapping food pictures.


• Your movie collection is mostly cooking related.


• You can answer most questions pertaining to food at random.


• Most of your daily time is spent in the kitchen.


• You plan out menus for the week.


• You own extensive spice collection.


• Your family members are in fear of touching anything in the kitchen.


• You grow some form of edible plant or herb.


• You have people coming to you for recipes or advice pertaining to cooking.


• You’re nervous until someone states the exquisite flavor of the food.


• You talk to your kitchen appliances

As I said before, I sometimes drive to Charlottesville, two hours away, to get some ingredients. Is that obsessive or mere determination? I don’t know but when I’m off, I don’t mind. It’s a nice little venture and very soothing if you have the windows down on a nice summer day and the music playing calm relaxing music. Company is optional which may or may not make an influence. For me, there are three (four shops counting Kroger’s ethnic section) shops that I like stopping at: Rebecca’s Natural Market, Oriental Grocery Store, and Whole Foods. The Rebecca’s Natural Market claims to specialize in GF food but they have the same amount as Whole Foods so, unless they carry something Whole Foods does not, I wouldn’t really waste my time. They’re rather pricey as well. Whole Foods also has a better selection in produce since it’s a larger store in comparison to the small box of a facility Rebecca’s is. Regardless, I did find the GF Brown Rice Tortillas at a discount so it wasn’t that bad of a deal for the most part.

Another item I can only, apparently, find within a 80 mile radius happens to be at Whole Foods - rabe. I love my rabe. I recall memories where I couldn’t stand its bitter existence and now it is like an addiction. Bitter, yet, sweet to my pallet and perfect in almost any combination. I recall my grandmother craving rabe and I would purchase bunches at such a discount as opposed to the current price I pay, 2.99 a bunch. It’s outlandish and outrageous. If only that Asian Market carried gai lan, I’d be a happy camper. Gai lan is akin to bitter broccoli with trivial differences. So, now than I actually have a decent job, I can afford to buy more than one or two bunches at a time and freeze them - yay! Like your standard broccoli, rabe freezes remarkably well. All you have to do is trim the tips, pick off the icky leaves (but leave some!), and blanch. Easy, no?

In this recipe, I combined a ton of Italian harmonizing to make a light and delicious lunch. Serve with some gluten free Italian bread lightly dabbed in good olive oil.

Rabe con i Ceci ed i Pomodori Vari (Rabe with Chickpeas and Sundried Tomatoes)
1 small bunch of rabe, cleaned and trimmed
½ small onion, sliced thin
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
4 sun dried tomatoes, halved and cut into strips

1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ packet of stevia
Chili pepper flakes
Garlic flakes, crushed
Salt
Pepper

Chop the broccolini/rabe/ bitter broccoli in three seconds unless the stems are short then cut into two.

First, steam the broccoli until just tender then set aside. The reason why is so that you don’t overcook the broccolini but still don’t end up with it so raw that its remarkably bitter.

In a nonstick frying pan or one coated with nonstick spray, sauté the onions until just soft. Add the rabe and sauté for a few minutes or until the onions become transparent. Add the chickpeas, and sun dried tomatoes with the chili flakes, garlic, salt, capers, and pepper for three minutes, stir-frying/sautéing then turn off the heat. I personally don’t like mushy vegetables but, of course, that’s your call.

If you want the broccoli to be more tender than crisp, steam longer in the first place.

Toss in the balsamic vinegar then transfer to a plate.