Making a risotto with cream of broccoli rabe stems is a way to waste nothing in the kitchen. Usually, when we clean broccoli rabe, we tend to throw away the thicker, tougher stems, but follow the recipe and you’ll see how to make a tasty cream to add to the risotto. Here’s how to make broccoli rabe cream
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 4 Minutes
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 2 cups Carnaroli rice
- 2.2 lbs broccoli rabe
- 3.5 oz bacon (slab)
- 1 onion (small)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- oz Pecorino Romano
- 6 cups vegetable broth
Steps
First, prepare the broth by putting 2 quarts of water, a carrot, a stalk of celery, an onion, and a potato in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for at least 40 minutes once it starts boiling.
Clean the broccoli rabe and set aside the stems and discarded leaves. Here’s the recipe for broccoli rabe cream
Meanwhile, set a pot on the stove for the risotto, add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the thinly sliced onion. Sauté, then add the bacon, and once it becomes transparent, remove and set aside. Add the rice and toast it; after 3-4 minutes, add the broth and let it absorb. In a small pan, sauté with a tablespoon of oil 3.5 oz of broccoli rabe (I chose the flowering tops), adjust with salt and pepper, and after a few minutes, turn off and set aside.
Keep an eye on the rice, and as soon as it dries too much, add more broth. After 10 minutes, add the stem cream, adjust with salt and pepper, and continue. In the last minute, add the toasted bacon and broccoli rabe, stir, turn off the heat, and cover. Let rest for 5 minutes, then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, stirring vigorously to cream, and serve with a sprinkle of Pecorino.
