Broccoli, Broccolini, and Broccoli Raab

One of America’s favorite vegetables (former president Bush notwithstanding) has two cousins that have been steadily gaining popularity too. Broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and gailan is like a more delicate broccoli. Broccoli raab has slimmer, longer stalks, with more leaves than flowers, and a fairly bitter overall flavor.

Preparing: Broccoli: strip the stalk of leaves, if any (these are perfectly edible; cook along with the florets if you like). Cut off the dried-out end of the stalk and use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the tough outer skin as best you can without going crazy. To peel with a paring knife, hold the broccoli upside down; grasp a bit of the skin right at the bottom between the paring knife and your thumb, and pull down to remove a strip of skin. Cut the stalk into equal-length pieces and break the head into florets.

Broccolini and broccoli raab: trim the dry ends of the stems. Pull off any yellowing or wilted leaves off the broccoli raab.

Best cooking methods: steaming, microwaving, boiling, braising, braising and glazing, sautéing, stir- frying (broccoli); some people eat broccoli raw but I like it at least lightly cooked to take the edge off. Sautéing, stir-frying until tender, braising until quite soft (broccolini, broccoli raab). Parboil and shock all to preserve the green color or for quicker cooking later.

When are they done? The tenderness of broccoli (and its ilk) is a matter of taste. When bright green, it’s still crisp and quite chewy; some people like it that way. Cook it another couple of minutes and it becomes tender; overcook it and it becomes mushy and begins to fall apart, which can also be excellent. Cook until a skewer or thin-bladed knife easily pierces the stalk. Regardless of method, it often makes sense to cook the stalks longer than the florets; just start them a minute or two earlier.

Broccoli raab is done when you can insert a skewer or thin- bladed knife into the thickest part of the stalk. Undercooked broccoli raab is too crisp; overcooked broccoli raab is mushy.