What happens when you combine 2 powerful green superfoods together in one pan?

The 2 green superfoods are veggies and they are rapini and artichoke hearts, and when combined they are magically powerful.
Rapini and Artichoke Hearts
Jump to RecipeThroughout the post, you will note that I reference Broccoli Rabe, which is the same as rapini, and just another way we reference it.
No matter what you call it, broccoli rabe or rapini, it’s all a powerful superfood.
Get ready for an amazing vegetable dish to chat offers an abundance of vitamins and minerals and a big taste!
There’s nothing like a veggie dish that is low in both net carbs, carbs, and calories to satisfy hunger.
Better yet, the fresh green vegetables (rapini and artichoke hearts) in this dish are super easy to prepare and boast Big flavor!
Can you tell me more about the ingredients so I can decide if I want to read on?
Of course!
You’ll be using olive oil, and generous amounts of garlic, some red pepper flakes, and artichoke hearts, and rapini.
While that is the cliff note version, that’s more or less what we will be cooking rapini and artichoke hearts with.
This is a super easy recipe that will fill your belly.
What Can I Serve Rapini and Artichokes Hearts with?
Rapini and Artichoke Hearts taste amazing atop a bed o accompanying white pasta.
For those that love protein and eat meat, add in grilled chicken, seared steak strips, or vinegar pork.
The adaptability of this vegetable duo with almost any meal is what makes rapini and artichoke hearts so admirable as a prepared dish.
For more diversity in food prep, try the veggie duo atop crostini with some melted gruyere cheese, or mix it through scrambled eggs and add in a bit of crumbled sausage.
All in all, the endless combinations of ingredients that can be mixed with Rapini and Artichoke hearts make them the dynamic duo of amiability with other fares!
What’s missing in rapini and artichoke hearts?
What you won’t find in this recipe are a lot of fancy ingredients.
However, I have updated this recipe and no longer prepare my own artichoke hearts as Nonna Santa used to do! Why?
In line with all my other ‘In The Kitchen With Dana’ recipes, this is based on minimal ingredients that derive bold taste.
Less is better when cooking, plus, it keeps your grocery budget in check and keeps the sodium and artificial ingredients out!
Now, get ready for some good eats!
Powerful Green Superfoods. It’s a Duo of green veggies!
To create this dish, we will be preparing 2 different veggies and then combining them together to enjoy rapini and artichoke hearts.
Now you could eat them separately or you can dine on them together, really that is your choice.
Together these are the dynamic duo of fiber-loaded, nutrient-dense greens but that said eat them in moderation or you might have some serious flatulence issues.
Rapini and Artichoke Hearts
As I would spend time with my Nonna Santa from Sicily, we would talk and she would cook. I’ve shared this story with all of you a lot so I won’t bore you with more of it.
Most of our time was spent in her kitchen.
After all, we Italians, love our food and once one meal is done, we are already cooking up the next, lol.
Broccoli Rabe also known as Rapini
Nonna Santa was always skilled in culinary and she brought her family recipes with her when she immigrated to the USA.
Nonno Luigi would go to our local ‘downtown’ Penn Ave, also known as the Pittsburgh Strip District, and purchase broccoli rabe.
Then, it was not a trendy vegetable, instead of more of an ‘ethnic’ type vegetable.
Therefore, it had to be purchased where most of the Italian foods were dispensing to the local markets.
Nonno Luigi would buy a case.
Later, when I met my husband’s family, I found out they did exactly the same thing as my Nonno Luigi.
Preparing Broccoli Rabe
Traditionally there’s rapini can be gritty, You’ve got to clean it! I share how to do that in my How to Clean rapini post.
So, this traditionally is both filthy and gritty before it’s washed.
For those that want to learn how to properly clean Rapini a.k.a. broccoli rabe watch the video.
Naturally, the core to prep is cleaning. Plus, the very ends of the stems are awful and will not tender up so cut them off. They are very stubby.
TIP for those first-time buyers of Rapini.
If your bunch of broccoli rabe does not have a lot of stem on it, put it back. Chances are those that work in the produce area have been chopping the stem off because it is not selling. It will taste awful if it is old.
What You Need To Know About Rapni
- Do not air fry this vegetable.
- You’ll need to rid the bitter or you won’t enjoy the taste and I’ll share how below
- Its best preparation always stems from sauteing.
- Overcooking this will ruin the ‘florets’ or ‘buds’ on the Broccoli Rabe so don’t overcook.
- However, that said, you will need to learn what consistency you consider DONE when you cook this. For my family, it is right on the cusp of going from dark green to lighter green and still a little crunch. Really, it’s a lot of personal preference here just like al dente pasta versus soft pasta (Oh no!)
Artichoke Hearts to make this superfoods recipe
Now for how I updated this recipe for rapini and artichoke hearts.
In fact, it’s so easy, that it amazes me I didn’t do this sooner!
Artichoke hearts are the ingredient we need to work on here so, where do we get them from?
Nonna Santa used to cook artichokes (so many) and keep the hearts for this.
Nope, this is a very long, tedious, crappy process that I have no patience for sorry!
But to tweak this and make it more relevant to our lifestyles, I’ve shortcutted this with a very healthy alternative.
However, don’t even think for a minute that I’ve short-changed the recipe, because I haven’t!
You’ll see it in the recipe below!
Plus, if you believe that the best way to an artichoke is fried, this recipe is NOT for you.
Recipe With Tips to Remove the Bitter
Rapini and Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
- FOR THE ARTICHOKES
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 clove of Garlic peeled and cut in 1/2
- 12 oz Bag of Frozen Artichoke hearts one bag
- 2 Tablespoons of Water
- Dash of Red Hot Pepper Flakes
- Sea Salt To Taste optional
- 2 Tablespoons of Feta Cheese optional but yummy!
- FOR THE Rapini
- A Head of Rapini rinsed, and end of stems cut.
- 2 cloves of Garlic peeled and cut in 1/2
- 1/4 C Water
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- WHEN COMBINED
- 1/2 Lemon grated or zest
- A quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Will also need:
- Foil Covered Cooking pan with edges
- Frying Pan with Lid either 2 or reuse the same one
- Fork
- Zester grater, or zest
Instructions
- In a frying pan, place olive oil, water, artichokes, and garlic clove.
- Cover and saute for about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from burner.
- Place on Covered Foil Tray.
- Lightly sprinkle with Red Pepper Flakes as well as a dash of Sea Salt.
- Next, in a frying pan, place Olive Oil, and chopped rapini.
- Also place garlic, 1/4 C of Water, and salt.
- Stir, then cover to steam for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- As soon as you get the greens to wilt, lower the heat to just medium.
- At this point, place the oven on LO Broil setting, and put the artichokes in while the rapini is in its final stages of cooking.
- Continue to cook rapini without the lid, until water evaporates.
- *Watch as the water evaporates quickly and the rapini will burn.
- Check on your artichokes broiling as soon as they are golden atop, remove.
- Immediately add the Feta Cheese and set this combination aside.
- About this time your greens should also be ready on the stovetop.
- Turn off the heat, and combine artichokes with rapini
- Next, it's time to add a bit more olive oil, and the zest of the lemon as well as a quick squeeze of lemon juice.
- Toss to combine and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Now, each time I make these, I think back on all those great cooking memories. My Nonna Santa pinching my cheeks, her Italian accent and how smart she was and trendy so long before these foods were trendy. While I miss her dearly, her recipes allow me to bask in fond memories.
I hope you will enjoy this recipe too! ~ Dana XO
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