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Celery Root and Broccoli Rabe


kristin_71

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So I have now discovered the great joys of celery root and broccoli rabe. Unfortunately, I have found only limited things to do with both. The broccoli rabe I boiled in salty water and then sauteed in garlic and crushed red pepper. It was really good. Celery root on the other hand, I am not finding alot. Just wondering who else is enjoying these things and how?

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i love celeriac.

it purees beautifully, and can be added to riced potatoes for a twist. i love making soup from it (sweat leeks and a bit of shallot in butter. add a little peeled, diced potato for body and peeled diced celeriac. add veg/chicken stock and simmer until tender. blitz in blender, strain and season to taste w/salt & lemon. i am using it in my culinary school final project - in a fennel & celeriac hash.

it's also (classic french) julienned and eaten raw. it's very versatile. sadly, here (PNW) it's very expensive. ($4.50 each)

from overheard in new york:

Kid #1: Paper beats rock. BAM! Your rock is blowed up!

Kid #2: "Bam" doesn't blow up, "bam" makes it spicy. Now I got a SPICY ROCK! You can't defeat that!

--6 Train

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When I was overloaded with potatoes and celery root from my CSA, in desperation I cut the veggies up in chunks, seasoned them generously with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them in a hot oven until tender. They were delicious. The two veggies complement each other so well.

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So I have now discovered the great joys of celery root and broccoli rabe. Unfortunately, I have found only limited things to do with both. The broccoli rabe I boiled in salty water and then sauteed in garlic and crushed red pepper. It was really good.

Add some sauteed Italian sausage to the broccoli rabe and you have a great topping for orriechette or some other short, fat pasta shape. You can deglaze the sautee pan (after sauteeing the sausage and then the greens with some chicken stock and let reduce a bit. A pat of butter in at the end to thicken it a bit more and then add the greens and sausage back in to complete the sauce. Top with grated cheese. One of my favorite pasta dishes. I think it's an Italian classic but I first saw a recipe from Lidia Bastianich.

(You can also try variations with anchovy or pancetta substituting for the sausage.)

Pizza topped with pancetta and sauteed broccoli rabe.

Philly pork sandwich: roasted pork, sauteed broccoli rabe and shaved, aged provolone on a crusty sub roll. One of the best warm grinders or subs I've eaten!

I've never made it, but I think broccoli rabe could be a great subsitute in a variation of a spinach lasagna as well. Maybe a broccoli rabe and Italian sausage lasagna! :smile:

I think sauteed broccoli rabe would be good if chopped up and folded into a dish of cooked cannellini bean seasoned with olive oil, lemon and red pepper. I think it might also work if added into a potato or bean soup plus or minus sausage; kind of like a Italian Caldo Verde.

I'm a huge fan of broccoli rabe; just love that slightly bitter taste.

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Other nice broccoli raab recipe from the website of Mariquita Farm near Watsonville, CA. They have a wonderful CSA (community supported agriculture) program for anyone that is local. (Their drop off points are as far away as the SF Peninsula so check out their site.)

broccoli raab recipes

celery root recipes

Some of the celery root recipes:

celery root slaw

potato-celery root pancakes

celery root and apple salad w/toasted walnuts

The Mariquita Farm sits is a particulary good one, but farm's that have websites and CSA programs often have lots of nice recipe ideas in inspire customers to use the produce they get from CSA programs in new ways. Local Harvest is a great resource for CSA participating farms across the country.

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Is broccoli rabe the same as rapini?  If not, how are they different in terms of taste and can you cook them the same way?

They're the same...

Broccoli Raab [rob] or Rapini [rah-PEE-nee] – Commonly known in the United States as broccoli raab (also spelled broccoli rabe). It is truly a vegetable with many names around the world. A few of the many names are raab, rapa, rapine, rappi, rappone, fall and spring raab, turnip broccoli, taitcat, Italian or Chinese broccoli, broccoli rape, broccoli de rabe, Italian turnip, and turnip broccoli.

click

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Using google and specifying either vegetable you mention in addition to naming "egullet.org" as the domain would reveal just how many ideas are here, including recipes in RecipeGullet. Just be sure to try "celeriac" too, for me, a favorite in soup.

No need to boil broccoli rabe first. Just chop it roughly, wash it and with water clinging to the leaves, put it in a large enough pan with olive oil, slivers of garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Cover. Let it steam-sauté for 5-8 minutes until it's more tender but still a deep dark green and not mushy. Lid off. Turn up heat for a minute or two to evaporate all the water if necessary. Squeeze some lemon juice on it if you like. See suggestions for serving above. It's not just for Italian food. Great for Asian stir-fries, fried rice, soups...

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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Using google and specifying either vegetable you mention in addition to naming "egullet.org" as the domain would reveal just how many ideas are here, including recipes in RecipeGullet.  Just be sure to try "celeriac" too, for me, a favorite in soup.

No need to boil broccoli rabe first.  Just chop it roughly, wash it and with water clinging to the leaves, put it in a large enough pan with olive oil, slivers of garlic, salt and red pepper flakes.  Cover.  Let it steam-sauté for 5-8 minutes until it's more tender but still a deep dark green and not mushy.  Lid off.  Turn up heat for a minute or two to evaporate all the water if necessary.  Squeeze some lemon juice on it if you like.  See suggestions for serving above.  It's not just for Italian food.  Great for Asian stir-fries, fried rice, soups...

Your instructions for cooking the broccoli rabe are verbatim what I was about to type. Easy, fast and never fails.

Katie M. Loeb
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Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
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I've just started to get into celery root -the first time I made it, I boiled chunks in salted water and pureed it with salt, pepper, a splash of milk and about a tablespoon of cream cheese. It was really good.

The second time I pureed it in a soup with turnips, parsnips, leeks and onions.

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i am using it in my culinary school final project - in a fennel & celeriac hash.

Let us all know how it came out! That might be a recipe I will want to get from you. It sounds great!

I appreciate everyone's tips. I am really getting into vegtables that are probably described as winter veggies so I was really not sure what to do. I absolutely love the slight bitterness of broccoli rabe too. When you pair it with garlic and some hot pepper flakes and then saute it, it is wonderful, but I like alot of the other suggestions too, and I think I will get some more and try some of these things. Celery root is another new favorite so all the suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially the salad because I am always looking for new salad ideas in the winter. Things like tomatoes are awful here this time of the year and the price reflects it. Winter becomes a time to get really creative.

Edited by kristin_71 (log)
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  • 3 weeks later...
So I have now discovered the great joys of celery root and broccoli rabe. Unfortunately, I have found only limited things to do with both. The broccoli rabe I boiled in salty water and then sauteed in garlic and crushed red pepper. It was really good. Celery root on the other hand, I am not finding alot. Just wondering who else is enjoying these things and how?

After you've sauteed your broccoli rabe with garlic and good olive oil, put it on some crusty baguette or italian bread, slice some fresh mozzarella and stick under the broiler, open faced for a few seconds til the cheese melts and it's all warm and gooey. Take it out, drizzle just a little bit more oil, sprinkle some sea salt and eat - yum yum!

It's also really amazing to serve over a bed of mashed fava beans; really superb.

Verbeana

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