Cime di rapa, also known as broccoli rabe in the northern hemisphere, is a leafy, big-tasting plant with strong mustard and turnip-y notes. The stems can be stringy, but when peeled and cooked at a low heat, they wilt into the most delicious addition to any pizza or pasta. Keep some covered in olive oil at the back of your fridge and you’ll be surprised how much you use it.
Ingredients
Braised cime di rapa
- 300g cime di rapa
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 15g oregano, leaves only
- small pinch of Espelette chilli flakes
- 100g olive oil
Black walnut pesto
- 75g walnuts
- 50g pickled black walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 10g parmesan
- 50g olive oil
- 25g vegetable oil
Method
Braised cime di rapa
Give the cime di rapa a good wash under cold running water and gently shake dry. Pick the leaves and flower heads into a suitably sized bowl. Take the stems and, using the tip of a small paring knife, peel away the fibrous outer layer starting from the base and working up. When peeled, finely slice the stems on the diagonal. Place all of the ingredients into a suitably sized pot, season with a little salt and cook over a low–medium heat until softened. This will take around 15 minutes – you want the rapa to turn an even army green and become luxuriously soft in texture. When it is ready, remove from the heat, leave to cool then season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Black walnut pesto
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the fresh walnuts on a baking tray and toast for 3–4 minutes. You do not want to brown them much at all, just toast some of the rawness off them. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Using a sharp knife, roughly chop the toasted nuts, followed by the black walnuts. Transfer the nuts to a small mixing bowl and microplane in the parmesan followed by a touch of garlic (start with half a small clove, you can always add more afterwards). Pour in the oils, give it a good mix and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
To finish
This may sound a little odd, but I like to plate this dish like a Neapolitan ice cream. With that in mind, scoop the stracciatella onto one side each of two serving bowls. Next, scoop the braised cime di rapa into the middle of the bowl, followed by the pesto on the opposing side. It doesn’t resemble the Italian flag in any way but still screams Italian to me. Serve with crostini on the side.
Recipe extracted from On Sundays: Long lunches through the seasons by Dave Verheul, published by Hardie Grant Books.
