While we were visiting our family in Atlanta this past Christmas, my 6- and 8-year-old nieces, were introduced to broccoli rabe (or rapini), an Italian leafy broccoli known for its bracing bitterness. I was thrilled. Most aunts hope to see their niece’s first dance recital. I wanted to see if they liked broccoli rabe.
Thinking it was regular broccoli, the 8-year-old, stopped mid-chew, turned to her father, and said, “This doesn’t taste like broccoli.”
“Well, what does it taste like?” he asked her.
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“Blech, it’s bitter,” she said, spitting it back onto her plate.
Meanwhile, the 6-year-old stabbed a plump broccoli rabe floret with her fork, jammed it into her mouth, and deadpanned, “Bitter is good.”
My husband leaned in and whispered, “See, I knew there was a reason she was my favorite.”
Having grown up in Italian-American families, my husband and I were introduced to many bitter greens at a young age and assumed everybody loved them as much as we did. Broccoli rabe sautéed with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and pine nuts was a staple at our Sunday suppers. Salads of bitter chicory, escarole and radicchio, often tossed together, splashed with extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic and a few shavings of Parmesan cheese, regularly graced our dinner tables.
As an adult, especially one now living San Diego, I’ve discovered that many people dislike, even fear, bitter greens. It’s not surprising. From an evolutionary standpoint, bitter foods were often poisonous, so disliking them protected us. Today’s bitters may not be poisonous, but that doesn’t stop many of us from finding them unpalatable.
If you’re in the bitter-averse camp, read on. There’s hope.
Early spring is the ideal time to introduce bitter greens into your diet. The variety is impressive and includes more familiar frisee, endive and chicory as well as more obscure dandelion greens, mizuna (a razor-edged Japanese mustard green) and radicchio (a red and white striated leafy chicory, also known as “Italian chicory”).
Here’s the thing with bitter greens: You want to tame their bitterness, not eradicate it. Your secret weapon: salt. Although sugar may seem like a natural antidote, your taste buds won’t think so. Try this: Sprinkle a bitter green like radicchio or endive with sugar and eat it. Most likely, you’ll get a punch of sweetness followed by a disturbing bitterness.
Now, sprinkle the radicchio and endive with salt and taste. You’ll likely find a fuller, pleasantly bitter flavor.
Pairing bitter greens with naturally sweet ingredients, instead of sugar, is a delicious idea. That’s why bitter greens get along famously with apples, dates, figs, oranges, raisins and dried fruit.
Chicory, endive, frisee and radicchio are ideal for robust salads. Given their popularity in many Mediterranean countries, you’ll often find them paired with olives, capers, cheese, nuts, lemons, oranges and Italian cured meats such as prosciutto and pancetta. Notice the trend? Salty and sweet foods.
Wilted bitter greens are particularly good and couldn’t be easier to make: Simply add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and/or onions and cook until fragrant. Add greens and cook for a couple of minutes, then add a couple of tablespoons of water or vegetable broth. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, or until wilted, and season with salt and black pepper. You can try this with a wide variety of bitter greens, including dandelion greens, escarole and mizuna.
Cruciferous bitter greens, such as collards, mustard greens and turnip greens, fancy a good braising. To braise greens, follow the instructions for wilting (above). But add more liquid (1 to 2 cups) and cook for a longer time, (15 to 35 minutes), depending on the toughness of the greens. Braising tenderizes muscular greens and reduces their infamous sulfur smell (they’re descendants of wild cabbage.)
Incorporating bitter greens into your diet is easy. Enjoy them in raw and warm salads. Add them to soups, stews, and scrambles. Juice them or blend into smoothies. Steam, sauté or braise, and serve as a side dish or fold into cooked pastas and whole grains.
They’re easy to select and store: Look for unblemished, richly colored, leaves with intact stalks. Wrap unwashed in paper towels and place inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to four to five days. When ready to use, wash greens thoroughly in a large bowl of warm water to ensure that all dirt is loosened and washed away. Pat dry. Trim off tough stems. For sturdier greens such as collards and mustard greens, remove the thick center stem that runs through each leaf.
Our nieces are coming for a visit in April. I think I’ll include broccoli rabe as a topping for pizza night. Food scientists say you have to expose children to foods they dislike upwards of a dozen times before they begin to like it. By my calculation, we’ve only just begun.
Russo is a San Diego freelance food writer and cookbook author.
Dandelion, Cara-Cara Orange, and Avocado Salad
This refreshing salad takes advantage of seasonal sweet Cara-Cara oranges. Navel oranges can be substituted.
Makes 4 servings
Salad:
- 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches dandelion greens, stems trimmed
- 1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and cut into segments
- 1 ripe avocado, diced and sprinkled with lime juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco cheese, optional
Vinaigrette:
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- The zest of half an orange, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- The zest of half a lime, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Several shakes of salt
Combine salad ingredients (except cheese) in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over salad and toss until well coated. Top with crumbled cheese before serving.
Rigatoni with Escarole, Cannellini Beans, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Walnuts
Makes 4 small or 2 large servings
- 8 ounces rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 head escarole, washed, patted dry, and cut into strips
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- The zest of ½ lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- The juice of ½ lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Several shakes of salt
- 1/3 cup grated hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan, Grana Padano, or Pecorino-Romano
- ¼ cup chopped unsalted walnuts
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, until wilted. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add escarole, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Stir in beans, tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt.
Transfer cooked pasta to the skillet with the escarole, adding the ½ cup of pasta water. Stir in half the cheese and walnuts. Top with remaining cheese and walnuts, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil, before serving.
Italian Sausage and Rapini Pizza
I prefer spicy Italian fennel sausage, but milder sweet Italian sausage can be substituted. You can also substitute assertive provolone for the mozzarella.
Makes 1 large pizza, about 8 slices
- 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, for brushing dough
- 1 bunch rapini (broccoli rabe), thick stems removed
- 1/3 pound fennel sausage, removed from the casing
- Olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese, for sprinkling atop cooked pizza
Preheat oven to 500 degrees if using a pizza stone or 425 to 450 if using a baking sheet.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper (if using a stone) or to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Boil rapini for 2 minutes; drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water. (Shocking the rapini will maintain its vivid green color and stop it from cooking.) Drain in a colander. Cut up larger pieces, as needed.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium heat, warm 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add sliced onions , stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Add the rapini and crushed red pepper, and continue cooking, about 3 minutes, until rapini is slightly browned. Return sausage to skillet and stir. Remove from heat.
Place half of the cheese on the oiled dough. Arrange the sausage and rapini mixture on top, and add remaining cheese.
If using a pizza stone, bake at 500 degree for about 10 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. For a baking sheet, bake at 450 for about 25 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese before serving.
Dandelion, Cara-Cara Orange, and Avocado Salad
This refreshing salad takes advantage of seasonal sweet Cara-Cara oranges. Navel oranges can be substituted.
Makes 4 servings
Salad:
- 1 large bunch or 2 small bunches dandelion greens, stems trimmed
- 1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and cut into segments
- 1 ripe avocado, diced and sprinkled with lime juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco cheese, optional
Vinaigrette:
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- The zest of half an orange, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- The zest of half a lime, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Several shakes of salt
Combine salad ingredients (except cheese) in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over salad and toss until well coated. Top with crumbled cheese before serving.
Rigatoni with Escarole, Cannellini Beans, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Walnuts
Makes 4 small or 2 large servings
- 8 ounces rigatoni
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 head escarole, washed, patted dry, and cut into strips
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- The zest of ½ lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- The juice of ½ lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Several shakes of salt
- 1/3 cup grated hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan, Grana Padano, or Pecorino-Romano
- ¼ cup chopped unsalted walnuts
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes, until wilted. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add escarole, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Stir in beans, tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt.
Transfer cooked pasta to the skillet with the escarole, adding the ½ cup of pasta water. Stir in half the cheese and walnuts. Top with remaining cheese and walnuts, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil, before serving.
Italian Sausage and Rapini Pizza
I prefer spicy Italian fennel sausage, but milder sweet Italian sausage can be substituted. You can also substitute assertive provolone for the mozzarella.
Makes 1 large pizza, about 8 slices
- 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, for brushing dough
- 1 bunch rapini (broccoli rabe), thick stems removed
- 1/3 pound fennel sausage, removed from the casing
- Olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese, for sprinkling atop cooked pizza
Preheat oven to 500 degrees if using a pizza stone or 425 to 450 if using a baking sheet.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper (if using a stone) or to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Boil rapini for 2 minutes; drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water. (Shocking the rapini will maintain its vivid green color and stop it from cooking.) Drain in a colander. Cut up larger pieces, as needed.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium heat, warm 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add sliced onions , stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Add the rapini and crushed red pepper, and continue cooking, about 3 minutes, until rapini is slightly browned. Return sausage to skillet and stir. Remove from heat.
Place half of the cheese on the oiled dough. Arrange the sausage and rapini mixture on top, and add remaining cheese.
If using a pizza stone, bake at 500 degree for about 10 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. For a baking sheet, bake at 450 for about 25 minutes, or until both the top and bottom of the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese before serving.
