Braised Broccoli Rabe with Burrata

Cime di rapa brasate con burrata

Serve this rustic appetizer family-style with grilled or toasted bread, rubbed with garlic. To trim broccoli rabe, I remove the tough ends, then, starting at the bottom of the stalk, I use a paring knife to strip away the tough outside, leaving the more tender inner stalk.

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 large bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed (about 1 pound) and stems peeled Kosher salt Peperoncino 1 (8- to-10-ounce) burrata, at room temperature Grilled bread, for serving

Recipe

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli rabe and turn to coat in the oil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon peperoncino. Add ¼ cup water and cover the skillet. Cook until the broccoli rabe has wilted and is tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to evaporate the excess water.

Remove the broccoli rabe with tongs to a platter, leaving a space for the burrata. Add the burrata. Serve with the grilled bread.

IT’S SUMMERTIME:

Grilled Swordfish Rollatini

At my home, the shady terrazza is where my family frequently gathers for warm-weather meals. We all love grilled seafood, a quick and easy choice that, paired with a salad, makes for a wonderfully light lunch or dinner. Tuna or swordfish steaks are regulars on my grill, served simply with grilled lemons or a salsa verde. But when I want something a little more layered in flavors, I make these fish into rollatini.

A traditional Sicilian dish, seafood rollatini (or involtini, as they are called in Sicily) consist of thinly sliced pieces of fish marinated in garlic oil and coated in herbed breadcrumbs, then rolled, grilled, and topped with salsa, such as this tomato version.

The best cut for making rollatini is the loin of the swordfish (or halibut or tuna, if you prefer). I buy one compact, evenly shaped loin and then mark off equal pieces (usually about 3 ounces each) before slicing crosswise across the loin, then flattening to about ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet. If you’re unable to find a loin, you can use pre-cut swordfish steaks, which you lie flat and cut like a cake into slices.

All of us who grill seafood have had that sinking feeling when fish sticks to the grill grates and flakes into the flames. My own little secret to combatting this, as well as giving the fish extra flavor, is that garlic oil marinade. I use it on almost all of my grilled seafood. Combined with a well-scraped, clean grill grate, your fish should cook easily and come off the grill smoothly.

You can eat the rollatini straight from the grill, but the longer you let them marinade in the accompanying sauce, the better they taste. It’s worth the wait!