Undici Taverna Rustica in Rumson boasts one of the most popular broccoli rabe around.  We constantly receive emails and letters from intrigued costumers asking how we make it or if we have any special ingredients.  For the first time, Undici invites you into our kitchen to take a look at how we make our famous broccoli rabe, and a written recipe to help you make your own!

Undici’s Famous Broccoli Rabe
Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients

• 4 fresh bunches of Broccoli Rabe
• 4-5 cloves of Garlic (one clove for each person being served)
• Chili Pepper flakes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Before you start you’ll also need…

• A pot of water for boiling
• Bowl of ice water

Fill your pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then start by de-stemming the broccoli rabe and removing most of the leaves. After you have just the broccoli rabe flowers, place them directly in the pot of boiling water. Sprinkle some salt (we recommend sea salt) into the water. You want to parboil or blanch the flowers, so cook them for around 3-4 minutes being extra careful not to overcook them. Submerge lightly and stir them around in the pot until they are soft, but not mushy. Scoop them out and place them directly into a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop them from cooking. Place the broccoli rabe on a plate and peel your cloves of garlic. Crush the cloves lightly with a knife, and use one clove of garlic for however many people will be enjoying the dish.

Next, coat the bottom of your pan in extra virgin olive oil (we use Ranieri or Coltibuono). Add the garlic to the pan and cook until the cloves are a golden brown to make sure all the flavor is extracted. After they are a golden brown, add the chili pepper flakes and simmer before adding the broccoli rabe right on top. Sauté for a few minutes and mix the oil and flavor of the garlic and chili flakes in with the broccoli rabe. Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

This dish can be eaten by itself as a side, tossed with pasta, or even used as filling for an omelet. The dish can be prepared ahead of time up to the sauté step, making it easy to parboil ahead of time and quickly sauté to serve guests or yourself before a meal.

Buon Appetito!

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Friday Nights from 4-6pm is Happy Hour at Undici Taverna Rustica in lovely Rumson, NJ.

• Discount drinks
• Buffet with homemade pasta
• Grilling station
• Complimentary meats, olives, and pasta

Come relax after a long work week and warm up in front of our fireplace as the weather gets colder!