Broccoli rabe is a two-faced jerk. Maybe you’ve eaten it in a restaurant and fallen in love with its tannins and texture, with broccoli and spinach and kale. You’re not alone. You’re also not alone if you’ve tried to cook it at home and found it to be utterly inedible. The betrayal stings almost as much as the bitterness. Unlike other bitter greens you may have cooked with, broccoli rabe has a dark secret. It tastes like shit unless you blanch it.
The BEST BAKED BROCCOLI RABE with garlic and oil
When cooked right, broccoli rabe is a real hit. Its inherent bitterness is incredible with salty, strong cheeses and pairs well with garlic and chili flakes, but you can’t just throw it in a pan like kale or arugula. Those are bitter, but pleasant. You can eat them raw in a salad and perk up your taste buds. Raw broccoli rabe, however, is quite pungent. America’s Test Kitchen explains how two naturally occurring compounds in broccoli rabe, myrosinase and the extremely bitter glucosinolate, can combine during cutting and chewing to create the even more bitter isothiocyanates. Blanching it in boiling water is an easy way to reduce the amount of these bitter compounds that reach your palate, and it works like a charm. While ATK believes that blanching broccoli rabe can make it too soft, I disagree.
ATK recommends cutting the vegetable less during prep to avoid the formation of isothiocyanates, but you’re going to chew it anyway, and those bitter compounds will definitely interact. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe the broccoli rabe in NYC is just extra bitter (everything here is), but blanching is a necessary step for better rabe. My method involves large chunks and blanching, which reduces the bitterness while still providing the absolute best texture. The plant’s signature flavor will relax in the best possible way, but still be present.
Bring a medium or large pot of water to a boil. Start by cleaning the broccoli rabe. Trim off any dry ends and any slimy or damaged leaves. Place a few on your cutting board and cut them into two-inch pieces. Prepare an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes in it).
