Me vs. Broccoli Raab (Ginger-Honey Broccoli Raab)

Erik — Sat, 07 May 2011 21:00:36 +0000

While Skyping with Lindsay at some point this week, I mentioned that I purchased some broccoli raab. Her reaction was “but you hate broccoli raab!”, and she was right! I can’t remember a single encounter with it, in a restaurant or otherwise, that I have really enjoyed.

But, Lindsay’s not around and we have a blog on local food and the raab is the thing right now (the raab, the ramps, and asparagus). For ramps, eat them raw wrapped around a piece of cheese. As for asparagus, I’m good with asparagus and will post on it soon. But first comes the raab. I had to try.

Lindsay pointed me to this recipe in one of her cookbooks (3 Bowls : Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery), and the verdict is: winner! I don’t know whether it’s a better preparation than I’ve had before or whether my tastes have changed. I do eat a lot more vegetables now. In any case, you should try it because it is very good for you, and this is a good gateway recipe.

One thing about broccoli raab (or rabe, or rape) is that it only loosely related to broccoli. It’s also called Rapini. Usually when a food is named after another food it’s a total misnomer. It can be confusing. If you are at a farmer’s market and dealing with a new plant, just ask about it. They will be happy to tell you what it is, what it tastes like, how to prepare it, etc.

Ginger-Honey Broccoli Raab

Makes 2 servings as a main or 4 as a side

Ingredients:

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Sq. Greenmarket)
1 bunch	Broccoli raab	Bottom ~inch of stalk removed, cut into 1.5 inch lengths	Lani’s Farm *
4 cloves	Garlic	Minced	Northshire Farm *
1 TBsp	Honey		Twin Spruce Apiaries *
1 piece	Ginger	About 2 inches worth, grated (it’s easier if it’s frozen)
1 TBsp + 1 tsp	Lemon juice
1 TBsp	Oil	I used olive oil, although I should have our local used sunflower oil
1 TBsp + to taste	Kosher salt
As desired	Black pepper	Freshly ground

Directions:

Cut the ends off of the raab; remove the last inch of stem. Cut the rest into segments that are about 1.5 inches long, all the way up the stems as well as the leafy parts.
Add the TBsp of salt to a pot of water and put it on the stove on high to get the boiling started.
Mince the garlic. Grate the ginger (as we’ve said before, we use only frozen fresh ginger because it is so much easier to grate).
Heat the oil in a skillet or pan over medium heat for about one minute. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for about three minutes. Measure out the honey and lemon juice while you do this.
Stir in the honey and lemon juice and cook while stirring vigorously for about one minute. Turn off the heat.
Whenever the pot of water is at a boil, add the broccoli raab and let it boil for two minutes. Drain it through a colander and give it a few good shakes to dry it off. Toss it around with tongs or salad serving utensils while it’s in the colander in the sink. Put the raab and the ginger-honey glaze into a bowl and toss to coat. Simple!

Market Day

Erik — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:52:09 +0000

The weather was nice yesterday, so I was able to bring my camera to the market. It is definitely spring now!

Ramps have been in for a few weeks but are still going strong. I read the article in the NY Times about how ramps are being over-harvested. I asked our sources at the market about it. They said that some ramps are cultivated by farmers, and those are sustainable. Others are harvested in the wild by foragers, and ramps have become such a hot commodity in April each year that more and more people are doing just that. Some of those sources are being depleted. The bottom line is: if you’re going to buy ramps, ask where they came from and try to support the farmers.

This was the first big week for asparagus, and it was everywhere!

Ramps and asparagus:

Broccoli Raab has been around for a week or two but Migliorelli farm is still selling piles and piles of it. Supposedly the raab will be gone soon; it only has a short window.

Broccoli Raab:

And here are some other pictures that I took while I was waiting my turn for some Cato Corner Farm cheese. Roaming Acres has the stand next door to Cato. They sell only ostrich products (eggs, meat, jerky). My friend Brian bough some ostrich steaks there the other week and said they were delicious.

Ostrich eggs and ostrich jerky:

And here is the Cato Corner cheese. A small chunk of the aged Bloomsday wrapped in a raw ramp leaf is delicious!

Cheese:

EatLocal365 » broccoli raab

Me vs. Broccoli Raab (Ginger-Honey Broccoli Raab)

Market Day