Cooking Italian Broccoli Rabe

In Italy it's called Cime di Rape but here in the US we call it Broccoli Rabe or Rapini. It's very popular in southern Italy and perhaps my favorite vegetable. I love the nutty slightly bitter flavor. People use different methods this is the way I find it tastes the best, here's how I do it:

Trim the stems off all the entire bunch about 2-3" off the bottom and rinse well. Some people boil it I find it takes some of the flavor away. I take a large skillet and add a little water to the bottom and place all of the broccoli inside cover with a lid and steam 2-3 minutes then drain in a colander. When it's cooled I take kitchen scissors and cut all of it into smaller pieces.

In the same skillet I add some olive oil 2-3 tbs and when its heated I add 2-3 chopped garlic cloves and a good 1/2 to 1 tsp of crushed red pepper and salt. Let it simmer a few minutes then add the broccoli and set flame to low and simmer for 8-10 mins. During this time I add some fresh herbs, my favorite is fresh basil and marjoram from my garden, dried is fine but it's optional it's fine without herbs.

If you want to add protein, Italian sausage its great, vegan or non, just saute it in the skillet beforehand remove and set aside then add it back in during the last 5 minutes when the broccoli is simmering. Today I sauteed some vegan chicken with marjoram in advance and added it in the end. This is great over pasta, just drizzle a little more olive oil and add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.