In season: broccoli raab

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FOR SALE

Vegetables, fruits and nuts: apples, arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, cornmeal, cucumbers, eggplant, peas, endive, escarole, fennel, field peas, garlic, ginger, green beans and pole beans, green onions, grits, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, lettuce, mizuna, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, onions, shoots, pecans, peppers, polenta, popcorn, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, smoked peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turmeric, turnips and greens, winter squash

— From local reports

Broccoli. Broccoli raab. Broccolini. This sometimes maligned vegetable has lent its name to several other members of the Brassica, or mustard, family.

Broccoli raab is a leafy green vegetable with florets that somewhat resemble broccoli florets, but are never as large. In keeping with its roots in the mustard family, this is a vegetable with just a little bite.

You can occasionally find broccoli raab at your grocery store, sometimes sold as “rapini,” or you’ll run into it at local farmers markets here at the tail end of the fall season.

William Lobb of Stoke Farm in Bostwick, about an hour and 15 minutes east of Atlanta on I-20, farms with his dad. Dad grows 15 acres of sesame seed while Lobb grows 2 acres of vegetables. He sells his vegetables at the Thursday Tucker Farmers Market and at the Saturday morning Green Market at Piedmont Park.

Lobb said he tried his hand at growing broccoli raab because he likes to always have something new to tempt his farmers market customers.

“Broccoli raab turns out to be pretty easy to grow,” Lobb said. “The tough part is getting it to form those little florets. I think you’d have to have very consistent temperatures, neither too hot, nor too cold, to get perfect florets all the time. But every part of the plant is edible and the leaves are really tender, not as tough as kale. It really lends itself well to cooking.”

Like its brassica cousins kale and cauliflower, Lobb finds broccoli raab does best when it’s direct-seeded. He planted his seed around the second week of August and then does more seeding every week or so. He plants about four 50-foot rows each time.

“It needs heat to germinate and planted in late summer can be ready in six to eight weeks. When the weather turns cooler, it takes longer to grow to a harvestable size,” he said.

And he finds he has to introduce it to most of his customers. “People aren’t as familiar with it as something like kale, but that’s what you do at market, talk to people about something they’re don’t know much about. I tell them I like it steamed and then sauteed with butter and garlic. I think that’s the best and easiest way to enjoy it. But I have customers who steam it and use it to top something like pizza.”

Steaming or blanching broccoli raab helps tame any bitterness and coax out the vegetable’s sweet side. Like all greens, broccoli raab will keep best if it’s stored in the refrigerator in a sealable plastic bag with no moisture on the leaves.

Matt Marcus’ Braised Broccoli Raab

Portofino executive chef Matt Marcus says this recipe was inspired by Michael Tuohy, the chef who opened Woodfire Grill in Atlanta in 2002. “We serve greens like this often at the restaurant. I learned at Woodfire Grill how many things can be a vessel of flavor and heat and how important those things are to building subtle depth of flavor. We have simply adapted on the building blocks of the great chefs before us,” he wrote when he supplied the recipe.

That reference to building depth of flavor accounts for the finishing of the broccoli raab in chicken stock and butter. The leftover chicken stock and butter mixture is discarded after its role in flavoring the vegetable.

Marcus likes using black garlic in this dish, an ingredient that can be found at many markets carrying Asian groceries and occasionally at Whole Foods. If not available, he suggests using roasted garlic as a substitute. He’s garnished the dish with more red pepper flakes in the photo, but you might only add them if want a very spicy result.

Four pounds of broccoli raab cooks down to a very small quantity so this recipe is suggested as serving six. Marcus would serve this dish alongside whole roasted chicken, a hanger steak, a hearty fish or game – all dishes that can stand up to the mild bitterness of the greens.

4 bunches broccoli raab (about 4 pounds)

Kosher salt

8 cups chicken stock

1/2 pound European-style butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 clove black garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 fresh bay leaf

Ground white pepper

Rinse the broccoli raab well. Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Put broccoli raab in boiling water and cook just until the color changes, about 30 seconds. Do not crowd pan. Remove from pot and put immediately into ice water. Leave it there until it cools, then place in a kitchen towel and wring out the towel to remove the moisture from the broccoli raab. Set aside. Repeat with remaining broccoli raab.

Rinse saucepan and fill with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add butter. Using an immersion blender, blend until liquid is emulsified. Add reserved broccoli raab, garlic, pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook broccoli raab until tender, about 15 minutes. Taste mixture for seasoning while broccoli raab is cooking. When broccoli raab is tender, remove from cooking liquid, pat dry and serve. Serves: 6

Per serving: 80 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 6 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 4 grams fat (2 gram saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 138 milligrams sodium.