Herb Salted New York Strip Roast with Morel Sauce
For this festive and impressive roast, I cook the meat in a salt crust that deeply seasons it and creates a gentle cooking environment. The crust is not meant to be eaten but it drives the flavors of the fresh herbs and garlic inward. Serves 16 INGREDIENTS 4 cups kosher or coarse sea salt […]
FARRO AND BROCCOLI RABE GRATIN
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This is a whole new kind of casserole, featuring a hearty whole grain, creamy white beans, and robust broccoli rabe. Toasting the farro in the aromatics and oil gave it extra nuttiness and ensured even cooking. White beans added creaminess and protein. Blanching the rabe in salted water tamed its bitterness. […]
ESCAROLE AND WHITE BEAN GRATIN
Italians frequently combine beans and various greens to make a hearty side dish. Besides escarole, you can use kale, collard greens, or broccoli rabe. Serves 12 INGREDIENTS ¼ pound pancetta, diced 1 cup finely chopped onions ½ cup finely chopped celery 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 large heads escarole, cored, leaves separated, washed, and […]
SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS
These are a lot easier to make than tortelli because they have no pasta wrappers. Serves 12 INGREDIENTS 3 bunches spinach (2-3 pounds), washed 2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese 3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving Salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf […]
PARMESAN POLENTA WITH BROCCOLI RABE SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND PINE NUTS
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes combine to make a savory, intensely flavored topping for sweet, nutty polenta. We reduced the polenta’s usual long cooking time by adding baking soda, which softened the outer layer of the grains. The baking soda also encouraged the polenta to release its […]
BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Overcooking—yes, overcooking—the broccoli for our soup recipe coaxed all the flavor out of it. Adding a bit of baking soda to the cooking water sped up the cooking process, and pureeing fresh baby spinach along with the other ingredients intensified the soup’s bright green color and enhanced its green vegetable flavor. […]
BROCCOLI SALAD WITH RAISINS AND WALNUTS
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Most recipes for this potluck and picnic classic leave the broccoli raw, but we found that cooking it briefly in boiling water improved both its flavor and its appearance. Adding the hardier stalks to the cooking water before the florets leveled the playing field, so both became tender at the same […]
BROCCOLI RABE WITH WHITE BEANS
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We wanted to showcase the bold flavor of broccoli rabe alongside creamy white beans, a classic pairing in Italian cooking. Cutting the broccoli rabe into 1-inch pieces meant that the pieces cooked evenly when quickly sautéed. Canned beans were the obvious choice to make this an easy weeknight side dish or […]
BROCCOLI RABE AND SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This guest-worthy braised broccoli rabe delivers rustic robust flavor with less bitterness. We blanched it in a large amount of salted water to tame its bitterness. Then we braised it in a sauce that complemented its strong flavor. To replicate the long-simmered flavors of traditional arrabbiata sauce, we started by sautéing […]
BROILED BROCCOLI RABE
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Broiling broccoli rabe is a simple, superfast way to create deep caramelization, adding just a touch of contrasting sweetness to this bitter green vegetable. And it takes mere minutes, requiring nothing more than a rimmed baking sheet. To keep things streamlined, we skipped the usual blanching step and simply cut the […]