Broccoli Rabe and Meatball Soup
Jimmy Buffett sings in “I don’t know and I don’t care” that he has ‘a PBS mind in an MTV world’. I often feel the same way. You will never catch me watching a sitcom, and very rarely a TV drama, but Food TV I will watch by the hour. I learn new things, but more than that, I get inspired to try new things. This soup is one of those things inspired by Food TV. The original recipe appeared on “30 Minute Meals”, which is hosted by Rachel Ray. Much of what she makes does not appeal to me, but I do really like the idea that I could theoretically have a home cooked meal on the table within 30 minutes.
When it comes to new foods, I’ll try almost anything once. Why not? You might find a new favorite. Broccoli is something that I most emphatically do NOT like; the gross out story why is for another time and place. But broccoli rabe (pronounced rob) is something I’d never heard of, let alone tasted. Thus began my several day expedition to find some of the stuff in Ohio in the wintertime. There is a chain of mega-marts in my area; they hold nearly a monopoly power over the grocery industry here. I visited four of the local stores; one in my neighborhood, and the rest scattered over a 25 mile radius in search of broccoli rabe, or rapini, as it is also known. Of course it was the last store, and the one farthest from home that actually had some. It cost more than I was expecting, $2.99 for a half pound bunch. I’m not sure why I thought that was expensive, given that I’d never heard of it, but perhaps it was because they had it sandwiched in between iceberg lettuce (which is nutritionally worthless) and ordinary green cabbage, both much cheaper. I bought all they had, a whole two bunches.
It looks to me like any other spinach-y leafy green, and there are a few small yellow flowers on the crowns. Smells earthy, and like something else that is just beyond my memory’s reach. Familiar. In the television show, the host mentioned that it could be bitter. Wikipedia concurs. Wikipedia also lists vitamins A, C, and K and minerals potassium, calcium, and iron as some of the nutritional benefits. It is a relative of the turnip, and is used extensively in Hong Kong. I often turn to “The Joy of Cooking” when working with unfamiliar foodstuffs; I find it to be reliable and informative. There are a couple of entries in “Joy” for broccoli rabe. Briefly, it is not a member of the same family as broccoli (which bodes well for me liking it) and that it tastes mustardy.
I decided to chop the rapini first, and wash after. After I had both bunches chopped and washed, I took a first taste. It tastes a bit like parsley, and a bit like kale. A definite bitter undertone. At this point, I’m wondering what the final product will taste like.
Broccoli Rabe and Meatball Soup
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lbs broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced (one will be used for the meatballs, so keep it separate)
1 cup mini carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 can of beans, drained (I used red kidney)
1-1/2 qts store bought stock (I used 1/2 chicken and 1/2 vegetable)
1/3 lb orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta)
1 lb ground meat
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped fine
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Equipment
small (#100) ice cream scoop
large stockpot
medium skillet
mixing bowl
In medium skillet, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water and add rapini. Allow to cook 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
Heat large stockpot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, carrot, and 3 of the garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add drained rapini and the stock. Cover, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir, reducing heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile, mix the meat, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, thyme, and remaining garlic clove well in a bowl. Add salt and pepper if desired. I used parmigiano reggiano cheese, which is quite salty enough, and in the end, I was really glad that I didn’t salt again at this stage. Using the ice cream scoop, scoop meatballs and release gently into soup, so as not to splash yourself. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, longer if you make bigger meatballs. The reason that I use such a tiny ice cream scoop to make meatballs (and cookies, if you must know) is twofold. Perfectly proportioned meatballs, all the same size, and also I never have to touch the raw ground meat. Bonus!
The final product? Smelled fantastic. Tasted good. Looked really pretty, with the red kidney beans, orange carrots, and green rapini. Something I would make again. A couple of caveats. One, the original recipe said “serves 4″. Maybe four giant starving lumberjacks, because I had a yield of 14 cups of soup. I would say serves 10-12. Two, use a much larger stockpot than I did…every time I stirred the soup, some splashed out onto my stovetop.
