If you’ve been following along on the BAN blog for a while now, you’ll know that I’ve come a long way as far as veggies are concerned. No longer apprehensive of the leafy greens (and with ready access to a lovely farmer’s market), I will willingly try a multitude of veggie dishes. So when I saw this recipe for broccoli raab with sausage and grapes in one of my cookbooks, I knew I had to give it a try. Sausage? Yes. Grapes? Yes. Greens?….ok, fine. You can come to the party too.
You will need:
(recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything)
- 1.5 lbs broccoli raab, trimmed and cut in large pieces
- 1 lb sweet, garlicky sausage
- 2 cloves garlic, slivered (forgot to put this in the above photo, but it was in the end result!)
- 1/2 lb seedless grapes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Boil or steam the broccoli raab for about 3 minutes, until it is bright green and beginning to get tender. Drain and plunge it into ice water for a few moments and drain again.
2. Cook the sausage over medium heat in a large, deep skillet, pricking it with a fork or thin-bladed knife a few times and turning from time to time, until it is nicely browned, 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the sausage from the skillet and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return it to the skillet over medium heat; cook, turning occasionally, until all sides of the sausage are nicely browned, about 5 more minutes.
4. Squeeze the excess liquid from the broccoli raab and chop it coarsely. Add it to the skillet along with the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add the grapes and heat through. Check for salt and sprinkle liberally with pepper. Serve immediately.
Okay, so I may have gone heavy on the sausage and grapes. And a little sparse on the greens. But “A” for effort, right? If you’re a fan of the sweet and savory flavor combination, I would recommend giving this recipe a try. I’m pretty sure you can use a number of different greens as well – collard, gailan, whatever you fancy. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
What’s your favorite green vegetable?
