CSA Cooking: Kale Rapini Spread

Years ago, I picked up a copy of Marcella Says while wandering a used bookstore. While I don’t typically follow the recipes closely, it often provides very useful inspiration, particularly when I’m looking for something delicious to do with unusual produce.

One recipe that’s long been in the back of my mind is this one for rapini and pecorino spread for crostini. So, when I found a bundle of kale rapini in the CSA box from Philly Foodworks, it seemed a good time to try it.

It’s an easy thing to make. You plunge the rapini in a large pot of boiling salted water for a few minutes and then run it under cold water to cool. Marcella says you should only use the leaves and florets, and I find that the easiest way to do that is to pull them off the stems after blanching. Once you’ve stripped all the good stuff off the stems, chop it fine.

Then, warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add the chopped rapini. Stir in two or three minced, pressed, or grated garlic cloves, a big pinch of salt, and a few vigorous turns of a pepper grinder. Cook until the greens are warm and the garlic has lost its rawness.

My plan was to tuck this spread in the fridge, so I didn’t add any cheese. However, I took some of it to a little tea party for three, and we perched slivers of strong, hard cheese on top of it which complimented it beautifully. I ate the rest this morning, folded into some warmed leftover rice and topped with fried eggs.

It would also be good spooned into a little omelet or stirred into a grain salad. It keeps in the fridge for a bout a week and is a useful way to condense your greens if your fridge overflows.

Next time, I’ll tell you about that bundle of chard.

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