Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts is a festive dish with vivacious flavors. Pleasantly bitter rapini (broccoli rabe) gets tossed around in a hot skillet with olive oil, fresh garlic, tangy-sweet raisins, and a fiery punch of crushed red pepper. It’s a dish that’s holiday table special, but easy enough for a weeknight.
The key step in this recipe, one that you may be tempted to skip, is to blanch the rapini before you add it to the skillet. It’s important! It partially cooks the rapini and mellows its natural bitterness so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
Rapini (also called broccoli rabe, and less commonly broccoli raab) is a cruciferous vegetable with green stems, buds and leaves all of which are edible. Often associated with Mediterranean or Italian cuisine, rapini can be eaten cooked or raw and has a pleasant bitter flavor that is reduced by cooking.
Cooking rapini / broccoli rabe will reduce its bitter flavor. In this recipe, rapini is both blanched in boiling water and sautéed, two methods that work together to reduce any bitter taste.
To thoroughly wash rapini, submerge it in a large bowl of water. Swoosh it around to encourage all of the dirt and debris to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Lift the washed rapini out of the water and transfer to a colander to dry. (Pouring the water into the colander along with the rapini would be pouring all of that dirt you washed out right over it again!)
Though both broccolini and rapini (broccoli rabe) have visually similar green bud clusters (florets), they are not the same plant. They aren’t even related! Broccolini is a hybrid of gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and broccoli. Rapini is more closely related to the turnip.
Ingredients you need to make rapini with raisins and hazelnuts
- Rapini / Broccoli Rabe: You’ll need 2 pounds of fresh, raw rapini. Look for fresh looking bunches with perky buds and greens. Avoid those that are wilted or discolored.
- Olive Oil: Use a good, flavorful olive oil – it’s an important flavor component. (Because you’ll be cooking with it, you don’t necessarily need extra virgin olive oil.)
- Fresh Garlic: Look for plump bulbs with smooth, dry skins intact. Avoid those with soft spots and those that have begun to sprout.
- Golden Raisins: Look for plump, soft raisins. But don’t worry it they’re chewy, they’ll plump and soften as they cook.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: When crushed red pepper flakes are stored properly, i.e., away from moisture, they’ll last about 3 years. Replace sooner if they become discolored or dull.
What to serve with rapini
Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts makes an excellent side dish for almost any meaty main dish like Roasted Lamb Chops, Roasted Chicken or fish and seafood mains like Salmon Piccata or Shrimp Piccata. Or alongside Dry Brine Turkey and Mashed Red Potatoes on your holiday table.
And if you love rapini, don’t miss this classic Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Pasta. Everyone loves it and it’s weeknight easy.
How to Make Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts
Step 1: Wash, coarsely chop and blanch rapini in salted water for 1 minute. Drain.
Step 2: Heat oil in a large skillet; cook and stir garlic and crushed red pepper for 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add rapini and raisins; cook and stir until rapini is tender and raisins are plump, 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt. Transfer to platter and top with hazelnuts. Serve.
Rapini with Raisins and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds rapini broccoli rabe
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or more
- 1/4 cup golden raisins 40g
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 ounce toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Wash rapini (see recipe note #1); drain and coarsely chop.
- Heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Add rapini and cook 1 minute (working in batches if necessary); transfer rapini to colander to drain.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant and golden, 1-2 minutes. Add rapini and raisins; cook and stir until raisins are plump and rapini is tender, 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and transfer to platter. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and serve.
Notes
- To wash rapini, submerge in a large bowl of water. Swoosh it around to dislodge all dirt and debris. Lift out rapini and transfer to a colander to drain.
- For a fresh take on this dish, feel free to swap in dried cherries or dried cranberries for the raisins and/or toasted pine nuts for the hazelnuts.
Raisins and rapini are so delicious together — love how the sweet balances the bitter. And that garlic cooking with the oil and crushed chili flakes is calling to me. This could be a whole meal! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you, Valentina. Agreed about making a meal of it. In fact, we made lunch of the batch in the picture. 🙂
Love the added sweetness of the raisins to balance things out Marissa. I’ll be trying this side very soon!
Yay! I love to hear that, Mary Ann.
Oh this salad is just making me swoon – that vibrant green color is everything!! I love absolutely everything in this salad – so much flavor and texture!!! I’ve been trying to eat super healthy to balance out all the snacks, so this is going on my menu!! Cheers, friend!
That’s wonderful, Chey! Thank you. I hope you love it.
Interesting! I always assumed broccolini and broccoli rabe were related somehow – but now I know. Chalk that up as my thing that I learned today – and I haven’t even made my coffee yet! 🙂 Now moving onto this salad, it sounds delicious! I love the pop of flavor from the raisins combined with the crunch of the hazelnuts.
Truth be told, I learned it too while researching/testing that recipe. 🙂 Hope you’ll give this one a try!
Interesting! I don’t recall if I ever had this rapini (Most likely, I had), but I am so into this dish. I also love adding fruit and berries, including dried ones, into my recipes, but somehow I neglect raisins – I should fix this too!
I know you’re a big flavor guy, Ben. I think you’ll love this!
A little bit of sweet with this salad is fantastic! Dishes like this go so well with so many different recipes. Or all on its own 🙂 I love the hazelnuts!
Thanks, Katherine!
That looks so good and the colour is just amazing. I didn’t know broccoli rabe also called rapini…such a fun name!
Thank you, Angie!
Savoury, sweet, crunchy…and all the YUM! My kinda recipe, Marissa! I’ve been craving greens and salads lately (had a salad for lunch, actually) so this is great timing! Hope you’re doing well, my friend 🙂
Thanks so much, Dawn! Hope you are doing well too. xo