Comunidad Health Foods

I don’t often shy away from bitter foods. In fact, one of my favorite vegetables is a well-prepared Brussels sprout, and you don’t get much more notoriously bitter than that. Broccoli rabe, though, has been a more difficult vegetable for me to embrace. This recipe by Rachael Ray certainly helped. The bitterness isn’t totally masked by the other ingredients, so this certainly isn’t for everyone, but I did like it. You could increase the number of raisins or, do what I did with the leftovers, and stir in some applesauce or diced fresh apples to sweeten it up. It’s a simple recipe, and if you’re a fan of broccoli rabe then I highly recommend it. If you’re still a reluctant broccoli rabe consumer, this is a good stepping stone along the path toward bitter green acceptance, but know that it probably won’t be revolutionary. It helps to pair this with a sweeter or at least more neutral meal. I ate it alongside the Fauxtalian Grilled Cheese that I wrote about last week, and that was flavorful enough that made it work. Do consider trying it, but if you don’t fall head over heels for broccoli rabe after making this recipe, don’t give up just yet. I know I won’t.

 

I’d like to juxtapose the enjoyable sweetness of yesterday’s post with a decidedly more bitter one today. Maybe, if you’re lucky, tomorrow I’ll even tell you about the candy bar cookies that I made the other week, as a sort of dessert chaser to this post.

Earlier in the semester, I made broccoli rabe for the first time, and I now have to say that this is definitely not a veggie for the little ones. Start them out on carrots, sweet peppers, squash before you attempt to put this bitter green on their plate. It’s a really good dish, plus it’s easy and fast to make – you just need to be able to appreciate the bitter flavor components of a food. I might like it even more with a dash of lemon juice and/or zest tossed in at the end to perk things up a little bit, but it isn’t entirely necessary.

If you’ve never tried broccoli rabe, give it a shot sometime. It may not be for everyone but it’s a nice change of pace from the vegetable rut that some people get in, sticking to the same safe few that they know for certain they like. But if we’re being honest here, I still have a soft spot for actual broccoli, and even the maturity I feel for being able to appreciate its younger brother (Rabe) from time to time can’t trump that.