Cookaholics Bulletin Board

As mentioned above, CI has a Pasta (orecchiette) Broccoli Rabe and Sausage dish (there are many, just checked EYB) but the one from November 2011 adds anchovies and addresses the broccoli rabe bitterness issue. They suggest adding pasta water & chicken broth as you saute the rabe. I love cooking with anchovies. One reason is that, I like announcing at the table, "you'll never guess what's in here." Then again one of my kids orders anchovies on pizza.

I haven't seen CI's article on this, but I feel bitterness (to some extent) is a good thing. I always blanch bitter greens (to let them leech some of the unwelcome bitterness) before sauteing, e.g., collard greens are fabulous once you've blanched them to 'just' tender, then saute with garlic. Yum.

Amy

Personally, I like collard greens and broccoli rabe straight up.

But then, I drink espresso every morning, so I don't find them that bitter.

Not to mention Guinness. That stuff is so bitter it triggers my gag reflex.

Whereas I generally don't drink Guinness because I find it too sweet and mild.

I think I should amend what I wrote, as I made some Swiss chard tonight, and did not blanch it first...nor would I have. I wanted the bitterness of it, and it failed to produce the result I was looking for. Ah well...

Amy

I love Guinness
fitzie

So, it's asparagus season again in Northern California ($0.99/lbs for organic), so I've been putting asparagus in everything. It's tasty, versatile, and chock-full of vitamins. Plus you can remember you had asparagus for the rest of the day, with each trip to the WC.

So far: asparagus soup, asparagus omlet, roasted asparagus, and tonight: sheeps-milk ricotta and asparagus pizza on a cornmeal crust:

That looks fantastic. Would you mind sharing the recipe for the crust?

Mary

Mary,

Would that I could. It's from a company called Vicolo, who used to have a restaurant in SF until the discovered that they could make more money selling their crusts and pizzas chilled and frozen. Some weekend I'm going to spend the time to reverse-engineer the recipe, but until then ...