When you ’re grocery shopping on a busybodied weekend afternoon , the produce section can be consuming . After parse the remainder betweenorange and majestic carrots , andorganic vegetable , and everything else , you may be allure to skitter the labels of whatever you grab . But two items that partake in similar names are n’t necessarily interchangeable . If your supermarket is out of broccoli , think twice before buy Brassica oleracea italica rabe instead — the two veggies differ in some major way of life .
According toBon Appetit , Brassica oleracea italica rabe and broccoli are more distantly related than their names intimate . Taiwanese Brassica oleracea italica ( gai lan ) , broccolini , and the classic broccoli sold in most American grocery stores are all cultivar of the speciesBrassica oleracea . ( Kale , cauliflower , scratch , and Brussels sprouts areBrassica oleraceacultivars as well ) .
Brassica oleracea italica rabe ( pronouncedrob ) belongs to a unlike plant metal money : Brassica rapa . That makes the leafy greenish moreclosely have-to doe with to turnipsthan the Brassica oleracea italica that shares its tiny buds and dark green shade . The two veg also taste unlike . If you ’re used to broccoli ’s subtly bitter flavor , you may be turned off by broccoli rabe ’s inviolable , sharp bitterness .
To melt the predilection of its stems , bud , and leaf , broccoli rabe must be treated in a especial path . Before adding the ingredient to a smasher , blanch it for a minutein boiling , salt water supply . This will remove some of the aggressive rancour . Even blanched , Brassica oleracea italica rabe still has a bold , earthy flavor visibility , pass water it a complete match for bright dot and fatty meats . The vegetable is an essential component in Philadelphia’sfamous Italian knock pork sandwich . It can also be sautéed with olive rock oil , garlic , and lemon succus and assist as a side .
If you ’ve never seen broccoli rabe at your local grocery store , you may recognize it by its other name : rapini . If that moniker was more mutual , there would be a lot less confusion among citizenry who do n’t read labels carefully in the garden truck section .
[ h / tBon Appetit ]
