Shrimp and White Bean Stew with Braised Broccoli Rabe

Cold weather?
Check.
Roaring fire?
Check.
Candles lit?
Spicy shrimp and white bean stew simmering on the stove?
Broccoli rabe braised?
Check.
Check.
Check.
Wine glasses refilled?
Big fat check!
Eat!


Shrimp and White Bean Stew with Braised Broccoli Rabe
Adapted from Joyce Goldstein's Kitchen Conversations

1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
8 fat cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 small bay leaves
Two good shakes crushed red pepper flakes
8 whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, chopped coarsely
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 - ½ cups seafood stock if you have it, if not roasted chicken stock works just fine
½ cup dry white wine
18 large shrimp, peeled, tail on
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil. When oil is wavy, add the onion and saute for 10 minutes until golden, monitoring the heat so the onion doesn’t brown too much. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaves. Stir and let cook five minutes. Add the drained white beans and tomatoes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 20 minutes. Add the wine and stock and bring up to a good simmer. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the shrimp and cook, covered, until shrimp are done, about six minutes.

Stir in fresh Italian parsley before serving. Use fresh cilantro if not serving the Broccoli Rabe.

Braised Broccoli Rabe

1 good sized bunch broccoli rabe, washed and chopped
4 fat cloves garlic, smashed
2 large anchovy fillets
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add broccoli rabe and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well and squeeze water out .
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil. While that’s heating, chop the garlic and the anchovies together. Add to pan when oil is wavy and a shake or two of crushed hot red pepper flakes. Cook a couple of minutes and add the broccoli rabe. Saute five more minutes and serve.

Can put in middle of bowl of Shrimp and White bean Stew and ladle stew over top.

Serves 3 generously.

Click here for a printable recipe!

One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Two Years Ago on Feeding Groom

Shrimp and White Bean Stew with Braised Broccoli Rabe

Cannelini and Broccoli Rabe Soup

Broccoli rabe and I have become very close.

It’s my new favorite bitter green.

Raw it’s got a whang to it that I thought only belonged in old tennis shoes.
Cooked in boiling water and cooled in ice water, it mellows into a spicy vegetable that adds its own special touch to soup and pasta. As a sautéed side dish flavored with crushed red peppers and garlic, it pairs well with grilled meats and poultry.

Here, it’s the star in a mellow white bean soup perfect for a cold winter’s night in front of the fire.

Cannelini and Broccoli Rabe Soup
Adapted from a recipe for Kale and White Bean Stew Bon Appetit Magazine February 2009

1 large bunch broccoli rabe, washed, stems trimmed and chopped
A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 cup chopped fennel
1 cup chopped carrots
1 large spoonful garlic confit, smashed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large cans cannelini beans, rinsed
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1-½ tsp dried thyme
Splash of sherry vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring large pot of water to boil, salt it generously and add broccoli rabe. Cook for five minutes. Remove from boiling water to bowl with ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the rabe and squeeze the water from the cooked vegetable. Set aside.

Heat large Dutch oven over medium high heat and add a couple of swirls extra virgin olive oil. When oil gets wavy, add the shallots, fennel, carrots and garlic confit and cook for about 1 minutes, stirring often, til golden. Season well with the coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the white wine and bring to slow boil and cook for five minutes. Add the cannelini, thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock and cook for about 35 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup for a few minutes with the blender to mash up the beans to desired thickness. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for five minutes. Add the splash of sherry vinegar and the parsley right before serving. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4 generously.

One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Cannelini and Broccoli Rabe Soup

Ground Pork with Fresh Fennel, Broccoli Rabe and Two Tomatoes: A Sauce for Pasta

Wow.

What a meal.

Frost in the forecast.

A warm fire.

A bunch of broccoli rabe.

A desire for a different pasta sauce.

And a package of ground pork that wanted a home.

It got a great one.

Ground Pork with Fresh Fennel, Broccoli Rabe and Two Tomatoes: A Sauce for Pasta
Inspired by Last Night's Dinner

A couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground pork
¼ cup dry vermouth
¼ cup chicken stock
½ large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 large fresh fennel, chopped
1 large spoonful garlic confit
1-½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 tbsp fennel seed
1-½ tsp dried French thyme
1-½ tsp dried Turkish oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-15 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes and their juice
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped
1 bunch broccoli rabe, trim the stems, wash and chop
Medium pasta shells, cooked (enough for four)


Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat and add a couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is wavy, add the ground pork and season well with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. When pork has cooked through, remove from pan and add a bit more olive oil.

Add fennel and Vidalia onions and let cook for about 10 minutes til soft. Add crushed red peppers, thyme, oregano and season with freshly ground black pepper. Add the garlic confit and let cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add the vermouth to the pan and stir well. Add the pork back to the pan and any drippings and stir well. Add canned tomatoes, the sundrieds and chicken stock. Let cook for about 30 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the broccoli rabe and bring back to a boil and let cook about three minutes. Remove the rabe from the water, add it to the pork mixture and let simmer while you cook the pasta. When pasta is done, drain it and add to the sauce. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4 generously.

Ground Pork with Fresh Fennel, Broccoli Rabe and Two Tomatoes: A Sauce for Pasta