Quote:
Originally Posted by JStokes
Yeah, just never liked it. I find it bitter, and stewed veggies in olive oil and garlic are not my thing. Love olive oil, love garlic, just not with sauted veggies. Don't like spinach, oil and garlic either, don't like primavera. Can't stand when the only side available is brocolli rabe.
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The excessive bitterness needs a place to go (EDIT: Dissipate) such as in a big pot of water. Try blanching it in boiling, salted water (It softens fairly quickly, so as with all green vegetables, don't cook it for longer than seven minutes or it will go olive drab in appearance). Next, drain it well and cool in the freezer for a few minutes or in a bowl filled with ice water. This will set a nice green color.
(Alternatively, you can cook the vegetable directly in a pan, but you will need to add a liquid such as chicken stock to mellow out the bitterness. Again, the bitterness needs somewhere to go or it concentrates.)
Now, you will have
broccoli di rape (sic, at least where I come from) which is tender and delightfully neutral/even sweet in character. As you don't like it sauteed (WTF is your problem?), maybe just dress it with some salt, pepper and a little extra virgin.