Rapini + Leek + Rice Soup

Ingredients:
3 leeks, sliced (white parts only!)
1 bunch rapini, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup (uncooked) jasmine rice
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 bay leaves
juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a wide-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the garlic, rapini, parsley, rice and leeks. Saute until the leeks start to soften and the rapini starts to wilt. Pour in the broth, vermouth, juice, zest and spices. Cover and cook until the rice is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.

My thoughts:

A local grocery store chain often has some somewhat surprising fruits and vegetables. Cactus pears, Seckel pears, rapini, many varieties of apples, Vidalia onions still with their greens, broccolini, the list goes on. I guess none of those items is terribly exotic but a lot of that are things that until fairly recently, we could only buy at a specialty store or the farmers market. We only have one year-round farmers market since nothing is in season here during the winter so any store that has fresh, varied produce gets our vote. Lately it has been an embarrassment of riches when it comes to rapini (aka broccoli rabe), leeks and other dark greens. This recipe came about because I have a ton of stock in my freezer (anyone want to point me in the direction of a good, affordable pressure canner? I have ham, lobster, chicken and turkey stock taking valuable space.), lovely rapini and some leeks that looked shifty. Luckily, it was one of those happy accidents when everything came together in a delightful manner. I am not even a soup fan and I loved it.

Baked Ziti with Rapini and Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb ziti, cooked to package instructions

cheese mixture:
15 oz ricotta
1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese
10 oz rapini, chopped and steamed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg

sauce:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz canned ground tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
1 slice sandwich bread, crusts removed
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Italian cheese*
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
1/2 onion, minced
matzo meal or bread crumbs
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together the cheese mixture ingredients. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until softened and fragrent. Add the tomatoes and simmer on low. Meanwhile, put the milk and the bread in a saucepan, heat low. Mash bread with fork after it has absorbed all milk. Remove from heat and cool. In a bowl, knead together the chicken, basil, onion, vinegar, egg, olive oil, cheese and the bread/milk mush, salt and pepper. Pour the matzo meal in a shallow bowl. Shape the meat into medium sized balls and roll all sides in the matzo meal. Place on a broiler pan and broil, turning once, until pretty much cooked through. Place the meatballs in the sauce and continue to simmer about 5 minutes. Toss the cooked pasta and the sauce together. Pour half of the mixture in a 13x9 baking dish. Dot with cheese filling. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese if desired. Bake, covered in foil, for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil and cook an additional 10 minutes or until bubbly.



*I actually used this which is a mixture of Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Fontina, Romano and Asiago but any one of those cheese would work well.

My thoughts:

This is the latest result of my baked pasta tinkering. We had a pound of ground chicken I wanted to use and thought it might be fun to make meatballs. The great thing about ground chicken is that it is really easy to flavor with herbs and sauces and it is much lighter tasting than even really low fat ground beef.

Tossing the meatballs into a baked pasta dish was a stroke of genius, a nice change from our usual but not more time consuming or fussy. I also liked that if I didn't want a lot of meat, I could just take less meatballs since the meat wasn't evenly distributed in the sauce. Perfect if you live in a household where some people are more meat eaters than others. We love, love rapini and adding it to the dish makes this a one-dish meal.

The recipe is also very budget friendly-it easily feeds 4-6 and uses simple, inexpensive ingredients. Ground chicken is only about $2.50lb and you can't get more affordable than a dish that incorperates dried pasta and canned tomatoes.

This dish also reheats exceptionally well the next day.

Grilled Rapini & Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1/2 lb rapini
10 oz sliced mushrooms
salt

for the vinaigrette
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pepper




Directions:
Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients. Set aside. Sprinkle the mushrooms and rapini with salt. Toss the rapini and mushrooms with the dressing. Place on a perforated grill pan. Place on the rack and cook until cooked through but not crispy, tossing occasionally-the time will depend on the grill you are using. Serve hot!

My thoughts:

Welcome to another edition of My Grill Friday!



I was pleased to find out that the rapini is more than hardy enough to stand up to grilling. The vinaigrette really accents the greens. I've found there aren't a lot of vegetarian/vegan recipes for the grill out there. While this one isn't exactly a main dish by itself, it could be if you tossed with with some pasta or quinoa. It is surprisingly filling. It is also a great side dish for meat or fish as-is.



Stay tuned for more recipes for the grill including more vegetables, options for the meat eaters and even desserts every Friday until Labor Day.

Cook Once, Eat Twice: Eggplant Rollatini with Rapini

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
58 oz canned coarse ground (or crushed) tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper

for the eggplant:
2 eggplants, striped* and sliced in 1/4 inch wide slices
1 cup matzo meal or bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 egg, beaten


for the filling:
1 bunch rapini, coasely chopped and steamed
15 oz ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt
pepper


canola oil
Parmesan for sprinkling


Directions:
WARNING: this recipe make a double batch of eggplant rollatini or about 8 servings, one to freeze and save, one to eat now.

First, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Saute the onion and garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil and simmer on low until heated through. Spread a layer of sauce over the bottom of two 9x13 inch pans. Set aside.

Second, mix together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Pour the remaining egg into a shallow bowl. Then mix together the matzo meal and the oregano in a second shallow bowl. Coat both sides of each eggplant slice in egg, then dip both sides in the matzo meal. Heat about a 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet. Preheat oven to 350. I suggest coating all of the slices and stacking them on a plate so they are ready for frying before you fry your first batch. Fry each slice in the hot oil, about 3 minutes on each side, until golden. I was able to fry about 5 slices at a time in a single layer with ease. Immediately remove the slices to a paper towel lined plate, place another paper towel on top and allow to drain. Meanwhile, place the next batch of the eggplant in the pan and fry. While they are frying, place about a tablespoon of filling on top of one of the cooked eggplant slices from the first batch. Wrap the edges of the eggplant to enclose the filling. If the slice is on the small size you might end up with something that looks more like an eggplant taco than a complete circle. That's okay. Place the eggplant rollatini seam side down on the baking pan. Repeat for remaining eggplant slices. By the end, both of the 9x13 inch pans should be filled with a single layer of the rolls. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover one pan with foil and bake 30 minutes or until bubbly, remove foil and cook 5 additional minutes. Serve over pasta if desired. Cover the remaining pan (I like to use this freezable Pyrex container with lid) tightly and freeze. The night before you want to eat the frozen portion, place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. The next evening bake according the above directions, adding a few additional minutes in the oven if the food is not totally defrosted.


Tip: The eggplant slices should be still warm when you roll them, if they are cold, they have a tendency to crack during folding. I found that by the time I got the next batch of slices frying, the first batch was cool enough to handle. If I worked quickly, stopping once to flip those that were frying, I could fill one batch in the time it took the next to cook. If you would rather not do two things at once, I suggest that after you drain the slices you cover them to keep them warm until you are ready to fill.




*Peeled in alternating strips. This helps the eggplant maintain its shape while remaining malleable.

My thoughts:

Rollatini is sort of a vegetarian version of involtini (meat rolls) that is a fun alternative to eggplant parmesan. It seems like more of a winter dish than one for early Spring but it has been freakishly cold and rainy so I've been sneaking some bubbly and warm from the oven dinners in while I still can.

As part of a recent assignment, I've been experimenting and developing recipes that have at least one component that can be made ahead of time. This recipe is a little more involved than what I plan to use for the project but the results were so delicious I couldn't help but share it with you. It is a bit of work, but none of it is difficult and at the end you have two days worth of meals, one to eat now and one that simply needs reheating. I know a lot of people fear frying but in this case it is actually rather simple, the eggplant isn't totally submerged in the oil so it is easy to flip the slices without splashing, making it more of an exercise in pan frying than deep frying. Just remember to keep the oil hot and drain the eggplant slices (on both sides!) immediately so they don't soak up any oil while cooling. I added the rapini to sneak a little extra bit of vegetable into the mix and I am glad I did, the slight bitterness really really brightens the tomato sauce and keeps the cheese/eggplant combination from slipping into blandness.

Farro With Carrots and Rapini

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup farro*
1/2 lb rapini, roughly chopped
1/8 lb flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation
Bring 4 cups water and farro to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, saute the onion, carrot and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add the parsley and rapini and saute until they start to wilt. Remove from heat. Stir in to the farro. Add the vinegar and lemon juice. Mix all ingredients together. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*Farro is an ancient grain that is said to be the "mother" of all wheat. It has a nutty flavor and is found in many Italian dishes. Look for it in the "health food" or "international" isle of a well-stocked grocery store.

My thoughts:

I bought some farro a couple of months ago but didn't get around to making it until yesterday afternoon. I liked it a lot, it is slightly chewy and has a almost toasty flavor I enjoyed. I had heard that people mainly eat it in salads and soup but I wasn't in a soup or salad kind of mood. I guess this would sort of fit into the "warm" salad category if you were so inclined. At any rate, it was a great side dish and the leftovers would make a great light lunch.

And I know it must seem like we eat nothing but rapini (I didn't even post when we had the Italian sausage subs with rapini that resulted in the leftover rapini I used) but it is one of those vegetables that is consistently good during the winter months. Plus Matt is fairly obsessed, so whenever we see it, we pick some up. It's a great way to add a little extra green to a meal.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Rapini

Ingredients:
1 cup evaporated milk*
1 cup milk*
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded asiago
1/4 cup panko
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bunch rapini, chopped and steamed**
1 lb small or medium sized pasta, cooked

Directions:
For the b�chamel: In a medium pan, melt the butter. Add the flour along with a sprinkle of nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Add the milk and evaporated milk and whisk together until slightly thickened. Whisk in the asiago and cheddar until smooth. Pour over the drained pasta. Add the rapini and stir to evenly distribute. Pour into lightly oiled baking dish. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan and panko. Bake covered about 15 minutes, then uncover and cook until hot and bubbly, about 10-15 additional minutes.

Yield: about 4 (meal sized) servings

*Having the milk at room temperature or slightly warm helps keep the butter from hardening when you make the sauce.
**A little trick: I steamed the rapini (AKA broccoli rabe) in a mesh basket over the pasta while it was boiling.

My thoughts:

What is it about winter that just cries out for mac & cheese? I don't normally go the whole creamy cheese sauce route but Matt had a craving so we went for it. Using evaporated milk gives the sauce a very creamy feeling but has a fraction of the fat in heavy cream. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate vegetables into things like macaroni and cheese, especially when it is serving as our entree. Rapini might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of macaroni and cheese but it worked well, rapini's strong flavor was tempered by the cheese and it kept the dish from being too one dimensional.

Four Cheese Rapini Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb lasagna noodles
parmesan for sprinkling

for the cheese filling:
15 oz ricotta
3/4 cup steamed rapini*
3/4 cup shredded asiago
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs

for the sauce:

1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 oz fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped


whole tomatoes, hand crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil the lasagna noodles until almost al dente. Arrange the boiled noodles in a single layer on cookie sheets until assembly. Meanwhile, stir together all of the cheese filling ingredients until uniform. Set aside. Then, heat the oil in a large saute pan and add the onions, garlic, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomatoes and turn the heat down low. Simmer for at least 1 hour. You can cook it longer if you have the time, the flavor improves with more cooking, but an hour yields a perfectly tasty sauce. Ladle some of the sauce in the bottom of lasagna pan. Arrange the noodles in a single layer, overlapping as necessary. Spread with the cheese mixture and top with more sauce and another layer of noodles. Repeat until the pan is full, reserving some sauce to coat the final layer of noodle. Sprinkle with parmesan. Cover in foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake 15 additional minutes or until bubbly and hot. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.


*AKA broccoli rabe, rabe, broccoli raab, it is nearly identical to Chinese broccoli.

My thoughts:

Lasagna is always a favorite but sometimes it gets a little boring. This time we eliminated the meat sauce and used one of Matt's favorite vegetables, rapini. Rapini can be on the assertive side (some might say "bitter") but I really like it. The flavor is also tempered by the tomato and cheese.

Curly Squid & Rapini Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb cleaned squid, large tentacles halved
1 lb pasta
1 lb rapini (broccoli rabe), stems removed and corsely chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy fillets
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt
pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to box instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. When hot, add the garlic, shallots and anchovies and cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic and shallots are softened and the anchovies have dissolved. Add the rapini and saute for about 5 minutes or until it has cooked down. Add the squid and cook until nearly opaque, about 5 additional minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice on the squid, add salt and pepper to taste and then cook on high with the lid on for 1 minute. Pour onto drained pasta and stir to evenly distribute. Add the bread crumbs and stir. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

Today I cooked squid for the first time and I was amazed at how easy it was and how well it turned out. It was very tasty and kind of fun to see the squishy, misshapen squid curl and cook before my eyes. It was extremely easy, I made the whole thing in the time it took me to boil the water and cook the pasta. The trick with squid is not to under- or over-cook it. Just cook it until it is just opaque (even in the middle, you might have to flip it over and inspect) and you are all set.