Spigarelli Broccoli

[weinoo]

Yesterday, at the farmer's market in Union Square, NYC, I came across a vegetable I haven't seen before...Spigarelli broccoli. Has anyone seen, bought and or used this before? Sign said to use "like kale." This certainly doesn't seem like it would be great in kale salads, though I'm sure the leaves will sauté up just fine.

[dcarch]

Something like Chinese broccoli?

I have a meeting in Union Square area next week. Will try to find some.

dcarch

[KennethT]

looks a little like chinese broccoli - only without the thick stems...

[Franci]

They are known also as friarielli, very common in Naples; pizza with sausage and friarielli, maritata soup, are the most known dishes. They are usually braised with some garlic and hot pepper. They are on the bitter side.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Franci (log)

[weinoo]

They are known also as friarielli, very common in Naples; pizza with sausage and friarielli, maritata soup, are the most known dishes. They are usually braised with some garlic and hot pepper. They are on the bitter side.

That's interesting, because when I was asking the farmer about this, he mentioned that he's trying to emulate a number of crops grown in the Naples/Campagna region (and I mentioned..."just without the active volcanoes").

You can see a picture of the tomatoes he's growing in the thread started about farmers' markets here.

I immediately thought it reminded me of gailan, although he wasn't exactly buying that!

[huiray]

Hmm. Interesting vegetable.

Franci, it seems the Italian Wikipedia (and the English one) gives friarielli as synonymous with broccoli rabe (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friarielli and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapini) whereas this article talks about it as distinct from other cultivars in the Brassica oleracea group... http://www.vineyardadventures.com/2011/04/11/abcs-of-campania-f/ . The pics for both friarielli and spigarelli "out there" also seem to show smaller leaves than that of the stuff from Union Square market, more loose flower head parts and skinnier leaves - (e.g. see also this blog article) Would it also be the same as what is called "Broccolo riccio a getti di Napoli" in this article?

ETA: As apparently found in the Santa Monica farmers market on some unknown date: http://www.seasonalchef.com/marketreport040506.htm

Edited September 19, 2013 by huiray (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

weinoo - there was an article about Spigarello in the LA Times a while back, and some updated information on the Specialty Produce website. Spigarello is related to cavolo nero (Italian black kale) and is the parent of the brocoli rabe (friarielli). Restaurants in Southern California made it somewhat popular (the now defunct Campanile, Lucques, etc). I use it the same way I use kale - sauteed. It's not bitter at all which is nice.

Edited September 19, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Martin Fisher]

It's basically a glorified turnip top (Cima Di Rapa), I've grown it off and on for years.

http://www.growitalian.com/understanding-cima-di-rapa/

~Martin

[huiray]

Isn't "cavolo nero" the same as "Tuscan kale"? ;-) In which case it would then be not quite the same as what appears to be this spigarelli broccoli?

Many of these names and varieties are probably variations of each other, mind you. :-)

[FrogPrincesse]

Isn't "cavolo nero" the same as "Tuscan kale"? ;-) In which case it would then be not quite the same as what appears to be this spigarelli broccoli?

Many of these names and varieties are probably variations of each other, mind you. :-)

Sorry I am not following you. I did not mean to imply that cavolo nero (aka black kale, Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, lacinato kale, etc) was the same as spigarello, just that they were related and can be used in the same way.

Edited September 19, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[huiray]

Ah, OK.

[Franci]

It's basically a glorified turnip top (Cima Di Rapa), I've grown it off and on for years.

http://www.growitalian.com/understanding-cima-di-rapa/

~Martin

Those at the mkt, to me don't look like cime di rapa. The most representative dish of my area are orecchiette with cime di rapa, the color is so dark, then maybe they are not even strictly friarielli. What is sold in other parts of Italy often doesn't get the approval from pugliesi: to many leaves is usually the complaint. People are very strict to buy just in season, when the cime are at their best, like all cabbages, when it's cold.

But I went to read in Italian cooking forums, I think in Naples they in fact the same thing, cime di rapa and friarielli, is considered friariello only the young plant picked and sold on the same day, so tender and fresh that is very sweet and tender. The older plant with more leaves is called cime di rapa. In Naples they would never use friarielli for pasta but cooked "arraggiati" or arrabbiati, meaning with garlic oil and hot pepper. Nice article on Luciano Pignataro blog .

For me, being Pugliese these at the market have too many leaves, maybe not as tender, I like this guy posting picture of cime di rapa from Puglia, broccoli and senape (mustard), he shows also how to clean the cime di rapa. Here. The spigarielli at the USGM, I would cook as for in our version of cime di rape "arraggiate", also known as "infuocate", slowly braised with garlic and hot pepper, bay leaves! sometimes white wine. It's a very robust dish because accentuate even more the bitterness of cime di rapa.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Franci (log)

[Martin Fisher]

I've grown a few different cultivars, some are darker than others.

Sessantina is rather dark.

Ample nitrogen also plays a part

The greens in the OP's post are quite immature.

[weinoo]

We pay a lot for the immature stuff. Baby carrots, baby zuke, etc.