Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

Even though I am part Italian, I only discovered rapini a decade or so ago. Being partial to "bitter greens" (which include arugula, radicchio, mustard and turnip greens, sorrel, young dandelion greens and curly endive), I was attracted by this "new" vegetable when I first saw it in a grocery store. Rapini, which is also called 'broccoli raab" or simply "rabe”, only slightly resembles broccoli. It has tiny bunches of broccoli-like blossoms on long stems in the midst of large spiky leaves.


Unlike common broccoli, which is from the cabbage family, rapini is related to turnip, but it grows in the same way as broccoli, except that it's ready to harvest earlier and can be grown all year round in temperate climates. The flavor is pungent, with a slightly spicy bite, which makes it a great foil for bland ingredients, such as white kidney beans, pasta, rice, polenta (Italian cornmeal) and potatoes. It can take seasonings that have big flavors, such as garlic, spicy vegan sausages and hot peppers. Try using it in lasagne, stuffed savory crepes, ravioli filling, stuffed pasta shells, quiches and soups. I love it so much that I actually crave it sometimes!

Italian cookbooks as far back as the 14th century included rapini recipes. The classic Italian preparation is to braise it in olive oil and flavor it with garlic, anchovies (I use miso instead!) and bread crumbs; or simply sautéed in olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper. The blossoms, leaves and stalks are equally edible and flavorful. Rapini is one of the easiest vegetables to prepare. The stalks tend to grow to an equal thickness, making even cooking a snap.

In supermarkets, rapini comes in bunches of 1 to 1 1/4 pounds. Look for slender, crisp stalks, bright color, fresh-looking leaves and relatively few opened buds. Plan on 3 to 4 servings from each bunch or 2 servings per bunch if you plan to use it as part of a main dish-- with pasta, for example. Store it in zipper-lock bags in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to a week. Because it is usually eaten cooked, you can also blanch it for 2 minutes in boiling water, "shock" it in ice cold water, drain it and freeze it in this semi-cooked state for future use in recipes.

Before cooking, rinse the greens well in plenty of cold water. Trim only the end of the stems and discard them (there is very little waste with rapini!). Cut the rest of the stems, leaves and tops crosswise into 1 to 2-inch lengths. Some cooks like to blanch the rapini before cooking (see paragraph above), to reduce its bitterness, but I don't bother with that unless I want to use the plain, cooked rapini in a recipe. I like that slightly bitter edge!

Rapini is a also nutrition powerhouse, by the way. It is low in calories (only 25 in a cup!) and sodium and has no fat or cholesterol. What it does have is plenty of vitamin A (110% of the Recommended Daily Value), vitamin C (130% of the RDV) and vitamin K, as well as potassium and folic acid. Potassium, along with folic acid, fiber and the bioflavonoids found in the cruciferous vegetables may help prevent the risk of stroke. Rapini also provides iron and calcium and like other cruciferous vegetables, contains nutrients, compounds and antioxidants that appear to have cancer-fighting benefits.

Fortunately, there are many delicious ways to enjoy rapini, and there are several other recipes on this blog:

Mediterranean-Style Bean Stew with Rapini & Vegan Sausage

Italian-Style Cannellini (White Kidney Beans) with Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)

Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta & Rapini with Italian Walnut Sauce

Tagliatelle with Rapini, Onion, Chickpeas & Creamy White Bean Flour-Based Vegan Bechamel

Tortino di Patate (Layered Potato Casserole with rapini, onions, vegan Italian sausage,and vegan cheese.)

The following recipe (from my book "World Vegan Feast") is one of those simple Italian-style stick-to your-ribs stews-- delicious with a green salad and crusty bread to soak up the juices.  



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S LENTIL AND RAPINI STEW WITH SPICY VEGAN SAUSAGE
(From my book “World Vegan Feast”, Vegan Heritage Press)
Serves 6

1/2 pound (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) dried brown lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
2 cups canned tomatoes and juice, chopped
2 cups tasty vegan broth 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 spicy vegan sausages, such as Tofurkey Italian "Sausages" or Field Roast Chipotle "Sausages", sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 to 1 1/4 pounds (1 bunch) rapini (broccoli raab-- see above), tough stems removed, washed, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch lengths 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or marjoram (or 1 1/2 teaspoons, dried) 
1/2 cup vegan parmesan substitute (such as Go Veggie! or Follow Your Heart [EarthIsland in Canada])

Mix the drained lentils, tomatoes (with juice) and broth in a medium pot. (If you are using dried herbs, add them now). Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes.

While the lentils are simmering, heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté them until translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and onions to the lentils.

Brown the sliced sausage slices in the same skillet sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer. Add the sausage to the lentils. Add the sliced rapini and the fresh herbs (if you have not added the dried ones already) to the lentils and cook an additional 5to 7 minutes or until the rapini has wilted.

Serve the stew hot in shallow soup bowls, topped with the vegan parmesan. 

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 342 calories, 66 calories from fat, 7.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 568.6mg sodium, 748.1mg potassium, 40.3g carbohydrates, 17.8g fiber, 7.4g sugar, 26.9g protein, 9.3 points.

Enjoy!

I have alot veggies to use up this week, so I was busy this morning!  The first thing I made was a lovely soup from Nava Atlas' wonderful book, "Wild About Greens". It's called Italian-Style Potato & Escarole Soup, but the recipe notes add that broccoli rabe (rapini) can be used instead of the escarole-- just the thing to use half of the big bunch of rapini in my fridge.



This veggie-full soup is easy to make and so delicious!  We're having it for dinner tonight.  You can access the recipe from Nava's website here. I followed it exactly, but used broccoli rabe (rapini) for the greens.  Do give it a try (and check out the book, too). Thanks, Nava!

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The second thing I made (which we're also having for dinner) was Tabbouleh. Tabbouleh should be vibrant and flavorful.  A Lebanese friend told me that an authentic tabbouleh must have LOTS of parsley—it’s not supposed to be just a bulgur salad with a little parsley in it.  It should be very green. Italian parsley is the tastiest, but you can use ordinary curly parsley, or a combination.   Fresh mint and dill add delightful fresh flavor.  Today I made the following Tabbouleh recipe, my standard, in order to use up some ripe tomatoes.  But, I soon realized that I was out of parsley! I decided to go ahead with it and try using minced chard instead, since I have lots in the garden. At the last minute I decided to add a 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas to make a full-meal salad. It's delicious! (PS: I found that the dressing needed more lemon juice than usual with the chard.) I give you the directions for using chard instead of parsley in the recipe intro.



The traditional (and very attractive) way to serve Tabbouleh (see photo above-- probably my most artistic presentation ever! ) is to mound it  in a serving bowl or platter with a rim and surround it with crisp Romaine lettuce leaves to use as scoopers.  Decorate the top of the salad with tomato wedges or halved grape tomatoes, sprigs of fresh mint and parsley, and black Kalamata olives.

Chard and Chickpea Variation of Tabbouleh

Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S TABBOULEH (WITH A VARIATION)     
Serves 8 to 12  
ALLERGY NOTE: If you are allergic to wheat, use cooked and cooled quinoa instead of bulgur.

This popular Middle Eastern salad has long been a staple for vegetarians, but it often contains 3/4 cup or more of olive oil for a salad of this size.  My version contains far less oil, but none of the flavor is missing.
CHARD AND CHICKPEA VARIATION: I cut 2 big bunches of chard and cut off the stems before processing the green leaves to use in place of parsley. At the last minute I decided to add a 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas to make a full-meal salad. It's delicious! (PS: I found that the dressing needed more lemon juice than usual with the chard.)

1 cup dry bulgur wheat (medium or #2)
1 cup boiling water
2 large bunches parsley. stemmed and minced  (Before chopping, parsley should be dried well in a lettuce spinner--  I mince it in  a food processor.)
2 ripe, firm tomatoes, diced (or use 2 cups diced grape tomatoes)
1/2 a large European or English cucumber (the kind with an edible skin), diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped green onion
 3  tablespoons  fresh, chopped dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill weed)
OPTIONAL: 1/2 a large green pepper, seeded and chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup aquafaba OR Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil  (or more aquafaba or Oil Substitute, for a no-fat dressing)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
Garnish (optional):
crisp Romaine lettuce leaves  (you’ll probably need 2 heads in order to have enough large, well-formed leaves)
2 firm, ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
parsley and mint sprigs
about 12 Kalamata olives

In a large serving bowl mix together the bulgur and boiling water.  Let stand while you prepare the vegetables and dressing.

Add the olive oil (if using), lemon juice, salt and pepper to the Oil Substitute and whisk  or shake together well. Set aside (or chill, if you used the Oil Sub while hot) until time to add to the salad.

When the bulgur has absorbed all of the water, add the remaining salad ingredients and the dressing.  Toss well.  Taste for lemon juice, salt and pepper, adding more if needed (I found that I needed more lemon juice when I used chard in place of parsley).  Refrigerate until serving time, or allow to come to room temperature, if you prefer.

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Last, but certainly not least, I made a pineapple salsa to go with a recipe idea from my friend Betsy DiJulio, innovative cook and author of the wonderful cookbook "The Blooming Platter of Vegan Recipes" and blog of the same name.  It's a simple idea for dressing up veggie hot dogs (she has a few really great ideas for making ordinary veggie hot dogs scrumptious on her blog).  She called them "Sassy Vegan Sausage and Salsa Roll-Ups (Stupid-Easy and Simply Beautiful)". My husband loves any excuse to eat a veggie dog, so he was thrilled to try this for lunch.  The recipe is here and you will see that her version looked a lot prettier than mine!  But we loved it anyway.  Here's my version:

Rapini or broccoli rabe/raab

"Although it has broccoli's name, broccoli raab is not related to broccoli.  It is, however, closely related to turnips which is probably why the leaves look like turnip greens. Lots of broccoli-like buds appear here and there but a head never forms. It is grown as much for its long-standing, tasty mustard-like tops as for their multiple small florets with clusters of broccoli-like buds. Good-quality broccoli raab will have bright-green leaves that are crisp, upright, and not wilted. Avoid ones with leaves that are wilted, yellowing, or have dark green patches of slime.

I have been miserably unproductive lately-- January blahs, I guess. But one thing I've been working on intermittently is cooking with bean flours.  A few months ago I got a new WonderMill Electric Grain & Bean  Mill, so I can now mill fresh bean flour in my new machine. It has a new Bean Adapter and also a Small Grain Adapter-- see photo below. (PS: The Bean Adapter is very new, so enquire about it via the WonderMill website. Here's what this mill will grind.) You can also line the canister that the flour goes into directly from this grinder with a bag, which makes it so easy to clean up.  And you just twist-tie the bag and place it in the freezer (I keep bean flour in the freezer so it doesn't go rancid).


I've really been enjoying cooking with fresh chickpea flour and fresh white bean flour, as well as my own whole wheat flour.  Here are some posts I've done so far on: wheat flour one, two, three, four ; chickpea flour one, two ; and white bean flour one.  That was a white bean flour-based vegan Southern-style white biscuit gravy and it was delicious.

Freshly-milled white bean flour-- you can use navy beans or Great Northern beans.  This batch was made with navy beans.

I've since been experimenting with using white bean flour measure-for-measure instead of white flour as a thickener for sauces, other types of fat-fee gravy and creamy soups, with good results (more recipes will follow). It feels good to serve a gravy or sauce that actually adds some nutrition to a meal. The measure-for-measure thing works well-- you have to cook it a little longer than a sauce with white wheat flour, but there's no beany taste, as there would be if one used pureed cooked beans instead of the bean flour.  (Pureed cooked beans work well in strongly-flavored salad dressings, spreads and dips, though.)

Today I was trying to figure out what to make for a quick lunch.  I had rapini that needed using-up (rapini doesn't keep very long), so I decided a simple creamy pasta dish with rapini, onions and a few chickpeas would be a a good idea.  I've been wanting to make a fat-free vegan white bean flour-basted bechamel sauce for a while, so this seemed like a good time to try it.

It turned out to be so easy and so good-- I don't know why I haven't tried it before this! This will be my go-to Bechamel from now on!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S TAGLIATELLE WITH RAPINI, ONION, CHICKPEAS & CREAMY WHITE BEAN FLOUR-BASED VEGAN BÉCHAMEL
Can be gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and/or fat-free if you wish.
4 servings  
This is a simple whole-meal recipe, but it's very satisfying and nutritious with a little kick, if you use the chile flakes).  Serve with some vegan parmesan sub to sprinkle on top (we like Go Veggie! soy parmesan).

Note: You can use more or less bean flour for other versions of this basic sauce, depending on the thickness you are going for.

Fat-Free, Creamy Vegan White Bean Flour-Based Béchamel: 
2 cups    non-dairy milk of choice (use Original type)  
1 teaspoon    vegan chicken-style broth powder or paste (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Base)  
1/4 cup    white bean flour (or white urad dal flour) 
1/4 teaspoon    salt  
1 pinch    grated nutmeg  
   freshly-ground pepper to taste  
Other Ingredients:
8 oz    dry egg-free tagliatelle pasta (NOTE: Tagliatelle is a dry flat pasta, often sold rolled up in "nests"-- check labels, as it is often made with eggs.) OR use linguine or fettucine, or any GF flat pasta
1 tablespoon    olive oil (see fat-free tip below)  
1 medium    onion, chopped  
1 cup    canned or cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained  
3 cloves    garlic  
1/2 teaspoon    red chili flakes (optional, but recommended)  
2 cups    chopped lightly-cooked rapini (or you could substitute mustard or turnip greens, or kale)  

To make the Béchamel sauce, place all of the Béchamel ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. I cook the sauce in the microwave, in a large ceramic or Pyrex batter bowl. I cook it on 100% power for three minutes, then whisk it then repeat for 3 minutes more. If you prefer, you can cook it in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens. Note: If you make it ahead of time, reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.



Place a large pot of salted water on the stove to come to a boil. When it boils, add the pasta and boil until just al dente-- 9 to 10 minutes. When it's ready, drain in a colander and leave it there.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet (seasoned carbon steel,  seasoned cast iron, or hard-anodized) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until they start to wilt and maybe brown a bit. Add the chickpeas, garlic and chile flakes, and saute a bit more. Lower the heat and stir in the chopped rapini and sprinkle on a bit of salt. Stir the mixture until heated through.



Fat-Free Tip: If you prefer not to use any fat in this dish you can either steam-fry the onions in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, adding a squirt of water every now and then to keep it from sticking, and keeping it moving, until the onion starts to wilt-- then proceed as directed. OR you can place the onion in a covered microwave-safe casserole and cook on 100% power for about 4 minutes. OR you could broil them quickly on a baking sheet about 4" under your oven's broiler (watch carefully!) until they start to brown and get limp.
Then add the chickpeas, garlic and chile flakes, cover and cook for 1 more minute.

Rinse the cooked pasta with hot water, shake to drain well, and add the pasta to the skillet, along with the Béchamel. Using a large spoon and a pasta rake, mix the ingredients until well-distributed. Serve in heat pasta bowls along with the vegan parmesan.


  
 Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 397.4 calories; 14% calories from fat; 6.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 658.4mg sodium; 592.3mg potassium; 69.1g carbohydrates; 7.0g fiber; 6.9g sugar; 62.1g net carbs; 17.1g protein.

With no olive oil, the Nutrition Stats are as follows: 367.6 calories; 7% calories from fat; 3.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 658.3mg sodium; 592.3mg potassium; 69.1g carbohydrates; 7.0g fiber; 6.9g sugar; 62.1g net carbs; 17.1g protein.

Enjoy!

Potato Tortino with Rapini

New Mushroom-Barley Soup We've been having a nice stretch of cold, but quite sunny, weather lately, but today we had a little snow, too!  (Our "grand-dog", Skeena, a 15-year-old Malamute who has been staying with us for a few days, has been loving the snow.) The two dishes that I made yesterday (the soup for lunch with hummus, olives, marinated artichokes, tomatoes and baby greens on homemade crusty rolls; and the potato dish for dinner, along with a big salad) were certainly suited to the weather. Today, we were truly grateful for the thick, tasty leftover mushroom-laden barley soup for lunch again. My paternal grandmother's family emigrated to Peru from the Italian province of Liguria, so the cuisine of the region naturally interests me: "...A classic example of Ligurian culinary ingenuity, it [a frittata, tortino, or polpettone] is basically a way of turning vegetables into a main dish, or at least a hearty appetizer, by adding little more than miscellaneous odds and ends..." Colman Andrews in "Flavors of the Riviera" (Bantam Books, NY, 1996), quoted in my book “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen: Delicious Home-Style Vegan Cuisine”. That's exactly why I love this recipe, which is from "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".  There are many ways to make this, depending on what you have in your refrigerator.  This is the way I made it yesterday, but there are suggestions for other variations. Printable Recipe BRYANNA’S TORTINO DI PATATE (Layered Potato Casserole—this time with rapini, onions, vegan Italian sausage, and vegan cheese.) (Can be gluten-free and soy-free)     Serves 6             A potato tortino (tortino mean “little cake” in Italian) is a layered casserole made with thinly-sliced pre-cooked waxy potatoes.  It can be made simply with potatoes, sautéed onions, and breadcrumbs, or a more elaborate version can be made by adding one or more of the other additions or alternatives listed at the end of the ingredient list. 2 lbs. waxy potatoes 1-4 T. extra-virgin olive oil (depending on your taste) 1 large onion, thinly sliced 2-3 cups chopped (about 1/2 a bunch) blanched rapini (broccoli rabe) or other greens 1 to 2 crumbled spicy vegan sausages (such as Field Roast Chipotle)—add a few dried chilli flakes if the sausage is not very spicy 2 large cloves garlic, minced about 1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs or panko (can be whole grain; can be gluten-free) 1/4-1/2 cup vegan broth (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan soup base) salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste about 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan substitute (we like Go Veggie! soy parmesan) about 1 cup of Daiya Mozzarella Shreds or other vegan white cheese, or your own homemade version ADDITIONS OR ALTERNATIVES: 1.) Instead of vegan mozza, use about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of thick Besciamella Sauce (made with or without the oil), dividing it between the layers, with some on the top.  2.) Add 1/2 lb. fresh ripe sliced plum tomatoes, or about 1 cup canned tomatoes, drained and diced or chopped (add a clove of chopped garlic to the onions) 3.) Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 1 oz. dried porcini or boletus mushrooms, soaked in hot water, drained and chopped (use reserved soaking water for liquid in recipe) AND/OR 1/2 lb. any kind of fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in a little extra-virgin olive oil 3.) Instead of the sausage, use 6 thin slices commercial vegetarian "bacon" or ham" (or your homemade version) Some other ideas:  a.) You could layer the potatoes with grilled or broiled zucchini or eggplant slices; b.) or add some fresh basil or other herbs c.) You could blend the broth with 1/2 cup or so of silken tofu (and a tsp of The Vegg [egg yolk sub], if you like) and pour 1/2 of it over each layer of potatoes, for an “eggy” binder.   Steam or microwave the potatoes, cut into even-sized chunks, until they are just tender, but still firm.  (I don't usually peel them, but you can, if you wish.)  When they can be handled easily, slice them about 1/4-inch thick.             In a large heavy (can be non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil (whatever amount you prefer).  Sauté the onions in the oil until they are soft and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic, chopped, blanched rapini (or other greens), and sausage, and sauté for a few more minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400ºF.             Coat a 10-inch glass or ceramic casserole (or a 2 qt. oval casserole) with olive oil and sprinkle it with some of the breadcrumbs.   Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the potatoes with half of the onion/greens/sausage/garlic mixture, and any optional ingredients you may be using.  Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of vegan parmesan and cover with 1/3 of your Daiya Shreds or whatever cheese alternative you may be using. Repeat layering once more, saving enough potatoes and cheese alternative for one more layer. Top with the last of the potato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the broth over the dish and then top with the remaining breadcrumbs, vegan cheese alternative, and vegan parmesan.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.  Serve hot. ************************* Printable Recipe BRYANNA’S NEW MUSHROOM/BARLEY SOUP Serves 10-12 (Soy-free and can be gluten-free) It was snowing a bit today, and quite cold.  I’m so glad I made his soup yesterday! This soup is faster to make than my older version, contains no oil, and you don’t need any Marmite (yeast extract).  AND, just in case you aren’t near a convenient grocery store, you can use just a few fresh mushrooms, along with some soaked dried mushrooms, which everyone should have in their pantry for adding wonderful flavor and umami to any number of dishes! (I buy the wild mushrooms mixture available at Costco, in a 1 lb. container—very good buy!) 6 cups boiling water 1 1/2 oz. dried mixed wild mushrooms 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 1 large leek, split, cleaned and chopped (If you have no leeks, use about 1 1/2 cups chopped onion in total.) 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (preferably cremini) 4 large cloves garlic, minced 5 cups hot water mixed with 3 Tbsp + 2 tsp. vegan “chicken” broth powder or paste (I use Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken vegan broth paste) 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari 2 cups rinsed and drained cooked or canned chickpeas (one 19 oz. can) 1/2 cup water whisked with 1/4 cup unbleached white flour OR white GF flour mix freshly-ground black pepper and salt to taste (you may not need any added salt) Pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms in a large bowl, pitcher or batter bowl, cover and let soak while you prepare the other ingredients. Place the leeks in a covered microwave-proof casserole and microwave on 100% power for 5 minutes.  Remove the lid (carefully!) and stir in the sliced fresh mushrooms and garlic.  Cover and cook at 100% power for 2 or 3 more minutes. Drain the soaked dried mushrooms in a sieve over a pot or bowl to catch the soaking water.  Squeeze as much of the water out of the mushrooms as possible.  Chop them coarsely. Strain the mushroom soaking water into your soup pot. Add the chopped soaked mushrooms, and the microwaved onion/leek/mushroom/garlic mix.  Stir in the 5 cups hot water mixed with the broth powder or paste, the barley, rosemary, soy sauce, and chickpeas.  Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. In a small bowl whisk the 1/2 cup water with the flour until no lumps remain.  Whisk in a little of the hot broth from the soup and stir into the soup.  Stir well to distribute thoroughly.  Simmer for about 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.  Serve hot.  Enjoy!