Taming Broccoli Rabe - Cooks Illustrated

Published January 1, 1999.

Blanching in plenty of salted water before further cooking helps remove bitterness and makes broccoli rabe tender.

The Problem

Some people prefer to eat broccoli rabe in its naturally bitter state, but for others that bitterness is overwhelming.

The Goal

A perfect plate of broccoli rabe should be intensely flavored but not intensely bitter; we also want to taste the other ingredients and flavors in the dish. We wanted to develop a dependable, quick method of cooking this aggressive vegetable that would deliver less bitterness and a rounder, more balanced flavor.

The Solution

Blanch the rabe in a large amount of salted water to tame the bitterness; you can increase or decrease the amount of water to decrease or increase the amount of bitterness. Sauté the blanched rabe with ingredients that complement its strong flavor, such as garlic, red pepper flakes, or sun-dried tomatoes.

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