Category: Raab (Kale, Broccoli, Collard, Turnip, etc.)

This sauce is good on most any vegetable but here it enriches simply blanched collard raab and purple sprouting broccoli. ... Read more »

In early spring you might see kale, collard and even Brussels sprout raab--the flowering stalks of these overwintered greens--at farmers markets, in your CSA or even in the grocery store. They are sweet, tender and delicious and are perfect roasted at high heat.... Read more »

Soups like these are why I cook more beans and rice than I need for any given meal. Canned beans would be just fine, too! Pair the leftover rice and beans with sausage from the freezer and some leftover chicken stock (or just water or veg broth).   Variation: Leafy greens such as mustard greens, chard, spinach, kale are all excellent.... Read more »

Blanching is a good technique for cooking Raab, the loosely used term for the flowering stalks of kale, collards, turnips and Brussels sprouts that appear in winter and early spring as the plants go to seed.   Raab can be delicious and sweet but can also have a bitter note. Either way, a quick cook in boiling, salted water, is a good method. You can enjoy just as is or briefly sauté with some garlic and a few chili flakes.... Read more »

This was part of the menu of the very first cooking class I taught in 2008. It remains a favorite. Whether much of it makes it into a dish--of pasta, eggs, beans or simply spread on toast--remains a question. By the spoonful at the counter, however. . .     Variations Kale or collard rapini work well too as does chard or beet greens Use hazelnuts, walnuts or even toasted pumpkin seeds if you don't have almonds You can skip toasting the nuts if you're in a hurry Substitute Parmesan or an aged Asiago if you don't have Pecorino. Add a little lemon zest if you'd like ... Read more »

15 minutes, start to finish, adaptable and delicious and a good reason for having canned tomatoes and small pasta shapes in the pantry. You can use larger shapes and more of it (more like 3 cups of penne). [caption id="attachment_13629" align="aligncenter" width="438"] This version uses tender spring raab for the greens.[/caption]   Variations You can substitute cooked beans/chickpeas for the sausage, to make a meat-free version. You can use parsley instead of basil Delicious choices for tender greens are spring raab, spinach, chard, turnip, beet greens and/or tender kale greens. Enjoy in any combination. Use fresh tomatoes instead of canned Other great small noodle choices are Pipette rigate, Conchiglie (shell), or Orecchiette. ... Read more »

This is a typical lunch for me. I bake whole grain sourdough breads weekly and often toast a slice to dice and toss with whatever vegetables and herbs I have on hand. I like sandwiches but you can be even more creative and cook-with-what-you-have like by tossing them with other bits and pieces. Use this as a template for what you have/like and scale up or down as needed.   Variations Collard raab, blanched and chopped, or 2 cups arugula or other lettuce can easily take place of the kale, in this recipe. Great herbs to include in this salad are parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, and/or mint. Sunflower, pumpkin, or toasted amaranth seeds and/or any chopped and toasted nut, such as walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds. ... Read more »

This is a delicious bowl of food. You can use broccolini or broccoli raab or any other raab you have. The tender turnip raab I've used here cook in the same time as the fresh ramen--2 minutes--which makes it extra simple to use the same pot of boiling water. If your greens and noodles have different cooking times just pay attention and set a timer for adding the quicker cooking item a bit after the first.   You can use soba noodles or rice noodles instead of the ramen here or even spaghetti. Feel free to spice it up with your favorite fresh hot chilis or chili sauce. ... Read more »

Use any greens, such as broccoli raab, collards, mustard greens or any other leafy green or sprouting brassica you have.  You can serve this as is, or over rice.... Read more »

If kale, collards greens, turnips and other brassicas are left to overwinter they will grow shoots with little seeds heads in late winter/early spring. When the weather is still cool they are tender and offer a bright burst of flavor and color after the gloomy months of winter. They can get a bit bitter or sulphuric when the weather warms up but a quick blanch balances that out too. They are fantastic as a pizza topping. Use fresh, store bought pizza dough or make your own. If you're in the Portland, OR or Seattle, WA area I'm partial to Grand Central Bakery pizza dough... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_9953" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Collard raab over rice.[/caption] If kale, collards greens, turnips and other brassicas are left to overwinter they will grow shoots with little seed heads in late winter/early spring. When the weather is still cool they are tender and offer a bright burst of flavor and color after the gloomy months of winter. They can get a bit bitter or sulphuric when the weather warms up but a quick blanch balances that out too.   You could make a big platter of this for 4 or more or make a small version for lunch for 1 or 2. Adapt with different greens, a fried or poached egg rather than strips of omelette, different pickles, etc.... Read more »

I can eat a whole bunch by myself, cooked this way. You can serve it alongside a piece of fish or hearty salad or just a slice of good bread and cheese.   with scrambled eggs and a warm biscuit -- I have them this way courtesy of my biscuit-making husband. add chopped up, to a  sharp cheddar quesadilla to which I also usually add pickled red onions and a few cayenne flakes. toss with a little olive oil and roast at 450 degrees until crisping and browning. Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy. Top a pizza with blanched raab alongside some spicy pork sausage and a good slick of olive oil and a cheese of your choice—Parmesan to feta to ricotta salata to goat cheese. ... Read more »

I came up with this one day in typical cook-with-what-you-have fashion. I had been eating steamed or sautéed raab with just olive oil and salt for a few days when I noticed a piece of feta and a jar of harissa in the fridge--a beautiful and tasty union! If the raab is on the strong/bitter side it's always best to blanch it in plenty of boiling, lightly salted water, drain and then sauté briefly in a bit of olive oil until tender. If it's quite sweet (early in the spring when it's still cold out--warm temperatures bring out the spice) you can just cook it in a little water all the way and skip the sautéing step.   You can make this for 1 person or many. It takes 4 -5 minutes to make, start to finish.... Read more »

There are many dishes with some kind of bean and some kind of green on this site. This combination of the rich, creamy beans with the sometimes spicy or slightly bitter greens is one of my favorite flavor pairings. The thinly sliced onions soaked in red wine vinegar adds another dimension to this dead simple dish. As per usual you can adapt the quantities and ratio to suit your tastes or your pantry/fridge.  ... Read more »

  This is an excellent version of the classic Pugliese dish of "little ear" pasta with the slightly spicy broccoli raab this coastal Italian region is known for. It's punchy, satisfying bowl of pasta.   You can use broccoli or spring raab or kale, turnip or collard raab in this dish. I used Scarlet Ohno turnip raab in this version.   Serves 4-6... Read more »

Beans, greens and garlic (and possibly pork) is a heavenly combination. You can use home-cooked or canned beans. I typically have beans cooked with this method on hand or in the freezer, however, sometimes I use the slow, oven method that requires no soaking just about 1 1/2-2 hours, unattended in the oven in a covered pot. It works beautifully so if you have the time by all means try this method.  ... Read more »

These potatoes are delicious as well as fun to make and if you have a child who wants to gently wield a meat pounder or a heavy pan to do the smashing, even better.... Read more »

--inspired by Chef Leather Storrs of Noble Rot   This is a great basic technique that you can use with most any green or even other kind of vegetable. It’s a great way to work through a quantity of greens as sometimes have with kale or collard raab or just the leafy greens. Bechamel (classic white sauce) seems not to be a popular thing these days but I think it’s wonderful and useful and a delicious foil for greens. It’s very simple too. Nutmeg is my favorite spice to add to a béchamel that will interact with greens. You don’t need much to season it well.  You could certainly add some cheese to the béchamel, at the end or sprinkle some grated cheese over the whole thing before you bake it further enrich it, if you'd like.... Read more »

This combination of flavors is delicious and can be served in a variety of ways. You can toss it with pasta and pecorino or parmesan and a little pasta cooking water. You can stir it into some cooked white beans and drizzle with plenty of olive oil. You can serve it over rice or add some sliced sausages to the pan while you’re cooking the onions and garlic. And it would be great over polenta. You can make it saucier by cooking down some canned tomatoes with the onion and garlic and then adding the greens . . .  ... Read more »

Raab is the loosely used term for the flowering stalks of kale, collards, turnips and Brussels sprouts that appear in winter and early spring bunches as the plants go to seed. Broccoli raab or cima di rape is a variety of broccoli that has been breed to have long, tender stalks, small florets and tender leaves. It is classically used in a dish with orrechiette pasta in the province of Puglia in Italy.  Spring Raab is a variety of broccoli raab commonly seen at markets and CSAs.   [caption id="attachment_4605" align="alignright" width="209"] Spring raab, a broccoli raab variety that is bred for tender stalks and leaves and small, flowering heads.[/caption]   Raab tend to be quite sweet in late winter and early spring though as the temperatures climb they get stronger and have a bit more spice and bitterness. Later in the season you want to be sure to blanch them before sautéing to mellow just a bit.   Whatever you call these categories of greens, they are delicious, and quick-cooking with a short season when little else is available on the greens front. The easiest preparation is to sauté the blanched greens in a little olive oil with some garlic and chili flakes or a smashed anchovy or two. They are also delicious roasted or as a pizza topping or as part of a frittata or other egg dishes.... Read more »