Mar 06 2008
Broccoli Rabe vs Chinese Broccoli
I like Broccoli, it’s my favorite vegetable. I’ve been sick the past two days and saw this recipe on veganyumyum. It looked good until I read about Chinese Broccoli which looks very similar to Rapini or broccoli rabe.
Michael and I experimented with rapini this summer. Check out this rehosted picture from wikipedia:
Rapini is used traditionally in southern Italian cuisine, we used a recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (which is a wonderfully organized cookbook) that sounded good. Until we had to skin the stalks of the rapini (time consuming labor). The dish took longer and more labor than expected, and then came the taste test. The first two bites of it were okay. Then the bitterness hit me, and I couldn’t eat anymore. It was awful. Maybe we didn’t cook it correctly, maybe I didn’t pick out a good bunch, maybe it was just the wrong season. It was disappointing to me because I had high hopes - I usually devour my leafy greens.
Well, the chinese broccoli shown in the veganyumyum entry looked a little too similar to rapini (see above picture of Chinese broccoli from Wikipedia), so I did some research. It turns out that the two plants are related but not the same. In fact, the Chinese broccoli has a much milder flavor and is not nearly as bitter. I’ll have to do some looking around local Asian markets and see if I can get a hold of it, I may end up liking it better than the rapini. Michael and I are still a bit wary of the rapini, even though we both like to try strange and bewildering vegetables.
Speaking of, I bought Brussels sprouts at the store on Monday and Michael made them up yesterday with a recipe I found here. We have no poppy seeds, so he used sesame seeds instead. I have to tell you - they were really tasty and he said they were easy and quick to make (always great things in a recipe).
In the meantime, Michael is attempting to train Inari on a leash so he can take her outside. I promise photos at a future date.
I love chinese broccoli like crazy. but then I also love broccoli rabe. and brussels sprouts. maybe I like my veggies to be sometimes bitter?
I definitely recommend the Brussels sprout recipe. There was not a hint of “cruciferous terror” when I prepared them as directed.
I guess it’s all in the preparation — everybody hates the things, but everybody also tends to boil them, and they get so mercilessly overcooked that way.
And Jess roasts a mean Brussels sprout, too.