I could go for broccoli rabe. I hope I'm not pregnant.

I'm craving broccoli rabe. No, Mom, I’m not pregnant.

Broccoli rabe, also called rapini, is an Italian vegetable that is actually not related to broccoli at all. It's more like a cousin of the turnip, hence its bold, bitter flavor.

My sister-in-law is also craving broccoli rabe, and she is very pregnant. I was a bit surprised to learn this (no, not that she's pregnant; that it's broccoli rabe she's craving). You see, Dee is a born and bred Southern girl: petite, with liquid blue eyes, natural blonde hair, and the ever slightest, sweet Southern twang. When I think of broccoli rabe, I think of cold New England weather, 6- foot tall hungry brothers, and crusty Italian bread. It was often a lunch my mother would serve my father and two brothers.

This coming Saturday is Dee’s baby shower in Atlanta. She and Jason (one of Jeff's brothers) are expecting a little girl in May; she will be the first new baby in Jeff’s family. You can imagine the anticipation.

I assume the broccoli rabe craving is the result of Jason's Italian heritage rubbing off on Dee. He speaks Italian and is an outstanding cook who could take on Molto Mario in an Iron Chef challenge of meats. Jason, however, wouldn’t be caught dead in orange clogs. Or clogs of any color. He’s much more of an Armani kind of guy.

Jason's love of Italian cooking and meats stems both from his mom and from his (and Jeff’s) first jobs at Tom’s Deli on Charles Street. I love to hear them reminisce about making grinders, veal parm, and chicken marsala, and about eating the scraps of sliced prosciutto that were unsuitable for the customers. Apparently, there were a lot of unsuitable scraps.

Ironically both brothers married vegetarians; needless to say, culinary compromise is key in both houses. For instance, though Jeff and I both love broccoli rabe, he has to have his with some good Italian sausage while I like mine simply paired with crispy polenta.

So, Jason and Dee, I have decided to post two recipes featuring broccoli rabe. For us vegetarians, I offer sautéed broccoli rabe on crispy polenta with a rosemary and goat cheese sauce. And for carnivores, a classic, no-frills, Italian sandwich: crunchy Ciabatta bread topped with pan seared Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and sharp provolone. I hope they will be a marriage made in heaven.

I was also wondering, did any of you crave broccoli rabe when you were pregnant? If not, what did you crave?

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) on Crispy Polenta with a Rosemary-Goat Cheese Sauce

Print recipe only here.

Polenta:
1 cup yellow polenta
2 cups water
2 cups milk (low fat is ok)
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp, plus 1 tsp olive for pan-searing

Combine the water, milk, butter, oil, and salt and pepper in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta and whisk. The polenta will start to bubble and spit pretty quickly. Place a cover on it, askew; reduce to a low simmer, and stir a couple of times, making sure to scrape the pan so the polenta doesn’t stick. Since it will be pan-seared, I shorten the cooking time to 10-15 minutes.

Coat a 9-inch pie plate or other round dish with cooking spray. Pour the cooked polenta in it, and smooth with a knife. Cover with foil, and place in the fridge for at least an hour (or even overnight if you want to plan ahead). Once chilled, it will easily slice into 8 pie slices.

When ready to pan sear the polenta, add 1 Tbsp, plus 1 tsp. olive oil to a non-stick skillet. Add the polenta slices and sear on each side for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Broccoli rabe:
1 large bunch broccoli rabe (stems removed)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
A few shakes of crushed red pepper
Sea salt, to taste

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Boil broccoli rabe for 1- 1 ½ minutes; drain. Plunge in a bowl of ice water. Shocking the rabe will maintain its vivid green color and stop them from cooking.

In a skillet, add olive oil. Add garlic, and sauté until it turns golden. Add broccoli rabe, crushed red pepper, and salt. Sauté 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Rosemary-Goat Cheese Sauce:
1/2 cup cream or half n’half
4 oz. soft goat cheese
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
A few cranks of freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp toasted chopped walnuts for garnish

For the goat cheese sauce, combine all ingredients in a small skillet, and heat 2-3 minutes, or until sauce is smooth and creamy.

To toast walnuts, place in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the handle slightly to toast nuts evenly. Remove when slightly golden and aromatic.

To serve, pour goat cheese sauce on each plate. Top with 2 slices of crispy polenta, 1/4 of the broccoli rabe, and 1/4 of the toasted walnuts. Garnish with some chopped fresh rosemary. Makes 4 servings.

Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Sandwich with Sharp Provolone
Print recipe only here.

1 small bunch broccoli rabe, stems removed
1 small minced garlic clove, optional
2 tsp olive oil
A few shakes of crushed red pepper
Salt, to taste

1 small 8-9 inch loaf crusty Italian bread (I like Ciabatta)
2 tsp olive oil
4 slices sharp Provolone cheese
Some crushed red pepper

2 links Italian sausage
1 tsp olive oil

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Boil broccoli rabe for 1-1 ½ minutes; drain. Plunge in a bowl of ice water. Shocking the rabe will maintain its vivid green color and stop them from cooking.

In a skillet, add 2 tsp olive oil and garlic. Sauté until garlic starts to turn golden. Add broccoli rabe, crushed red pepper, and salt. Sauté 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Slice loaf in half to make 2 sandwiches. Brush the center of the bread with the olive oil. Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.

Slice sausage links in half. Add 1 tsp olive oil to a skillet, and pan sear 5-7 minutes per side, or until they are brown and crispy.

To make the sandwiches, add the provolone cheese to the hot bread. Top with sausage and broccoli rabe. Season with crushed red pepper and salt. Serve right away while the cheese is hot and melty.

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Q:"What happened to your neck?" A:"Polenta."

My mom loves to tell this story. One day she went to visit her friend Dee. When Dee opened the door, my mom immediately noticed a half-dollar sized, bright red mark on Dee’s neck. Concerned, she asked her, “What happened?” Gingerly touching the area, Dee answered in one word, “Polenta.”

If you’ve ever made polenta, then you understand. When it boils, it takes on an bubbling lava-like behavior. When the bubbles burst they make a mess of your stovetop (and if you’re not careful a mess of you too). Despite these bodily risks, I make polenta all the time. I typically use regular polenta, but the quick-cooking kind is often not bad. Although heretical to some chefs, I do not cook my polenta for one or two hours; rather, I cook it for about 30 minutes. In his cookbook, “Jamie’s Italy,” Jamie Oliver (whom I have a culinary crush on) says he cooks it for 40-45 minutes; I've done that too. Just be sure that the polenta has absorbed the liquid and has become thick. That’s when it’s done.

Polenta is one of the classic Italian "peasant dishes." Growing up, we often ate it with a simple marinara sauce and grated cheese. It's wonderfully versatile though. You can make it soft and creamy or so firm that you can cut it into slices and sautée until crispy. It can made with just water or a mixture of water and milk, like I did here (it comes a bit creamier that way). The fruit salsa is adapted from an original recipe in Cooking Light. I used Satsuma tangerines (pictured on the tree next to my apartment here) because they're in season. After reading a wonderful blog at Smitten Kitchen, I realize that some people really don't like cilantro; if you're one of them, just omit it or substitute with mint.

Fiery Shrimp with Avocado-Pomegranate-Tangerine
Salsa served over Soft Polenta
Print recipe only here.

SALSA:
1 small Hass avocado, diced
1 Satsuma tangerine or other tangerine
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
1 tsp lime juice
1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp honey
½ small jalapeno, de-seeded (omit if the heat in the shrimp is enough for you)
½ tsp fresh grated ginger
1-2 Tbsp each of cilantro and basil
Salt, to taste

SHRIMP:
1 Tbsp canola oil
14-16 extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ small jalapeno, with seeds (why else would I call it “fiery”?)
1-2 tsp lime juice
A pinch of lime zest
A pinch of salt

POLENTA:
½ cup yellow polenta
1 cup water
1 cup fat-free milk*
1 tsp butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

To prepare the polenta, simply combine the water, milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking all the while. The polenta will start to bubble and spit pretty quickly. When it does, place a cover on it leaving a little space for the air to escape; reduce heat to a low simmer, and stir every few minutes, making sure to scrape the pan so the polenta doesn’t stick. After about 10 minutes, add some more water and stir to keep the polenta from becoming too dry. Cook another 15-20 minutes or until the consistency is thick and creamy; Jamie says it should “lollop off the end of a spoon.” Most chefs add butter to it at this point, but for this recipe, I find it too rich. It’s up to you.

To prepare the salsa, simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to coat.

To prepare the shrimp, mix the cleaned shrimp with the remaining ingredients. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté for 5-7 minutes, turning to ensure that they brown nicely on both sides.

To serve, plate the polenta; add the shrimp and salsa; garnish with cilantro and basil. This makes 2 servings.

*TWO MORE CENTS: I actually have to use Lactaid milk which works fine. Also, I eat mine with tofu instead of shrimp.

Care of polenta injuries: According to my husband Jeff (who has just 5 months left of his Dermatology residency), if you develop a blister, do not pop it. This increases the risk of infection. If the blister becomes intolerable, however, then use a sterile needle to punch a small hole and let the blister collapse back on the wound. (Four years of medical school and four years of residency to learn that).

Note: Food Blogga is not meant to diagnose or cure any diseases caused by careless cooking. If you are injured by polenta, consider dialing 911 and purchasing cover up make-up.