The Importance of Being Leafy

I thought today I would straight up post a recipe. A friend of mine recently turned me on to Rapini Pesto. Rapini or broccoli rabe is a bitter green and blanching it first for this dish, eliminates some of it's bitterness. It is also great steamed and eaten with rice and a little lemon.

Rapini is a good source of Vitamin C and A. It is also contains Indol-3-carbinol, a mighty anti-oxidant found in green leafies.


Rice Pasta with Mushroom, Asparagus and Rapini Pesto



Cheese-free Rapini Pesto
- one bunch of rapini (blanch the rapini in a large pot for about 4 minutes and then plunge into cold water. Drain it well, pressing down on it so you're getting all the water out that you can)
- 1 medium sized clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (toast them in a frying pan on medium heat until fragrant)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- juice of half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Whiz it all up in the food processor. If it seems not oily enough, then add more oil.

For the pasta:
- one bag brown rice pasta (I used spirals but you can use whatever short pasta you like)
- about 2 cups porchini mushrooms, sliced
- one bunch asparagus, steamed and then chopped into 1 inch sections
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- olive oil
- splash of white wine
- juice of half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- rapini pesto

In a large pan, saute mushrooms and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil on med heat, until mushrooms start to caramelize. Add asparagus and a tiny bit of water (like a spoonful) and turn heat down and put lid on pan to steam them a bit. After about 5 minutes of steaming, add wine and lemon juice. Continue cooking until asparagus is tender. Add salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta the way you normally do. Drain and return to pot. Add about 2 tbsp pesto and stir. Then add mushrooms and asparagus to pot and stir.

Yum!