Tender & Sweet: Broccolini Vegetable Spotlight

Broccoli-haters take note. Broccoli-lovers, too. Broccolini may just be the great green equalizer.

Broccolini is not baby broccoli, as you might expect. It's a cross between slender, leafy Chinese broccoli and the regular thick-stemmed broccoli many of us grew up loving (or vehemently not loving, as the case may be). The result is a thin-stemmed vegetable like Chinese broccoli, but with fewer leaves and larger clusters of florets like broccoli.

The flavor of broccolini is complex. It's less bitter than broccoli with a sweetness that's reminiscent of asparagus. It's a robust flavor, both earthy and grassy. When cooked, the stems take on a pleasantly chewy texture while the florets become tender.

The entire vegetable can be eaten, from the stems and the florets to the tiny yellow flowers that sometimes appear on mature vegetables. Broccolini can also be eaten raw or cooked. Best cooking techniques are a quick sauté in a hot pan with a little oil or a brief dip in some boiling water to blanch the stems. Broccolini can also be grilled, roasted, or steamed.

You can substitute broccolini in any recipe calling for dark greens or broccoli. It's also good all on its own with a drizzle of good olive oil and and a sprinkle of sea salt.

• Spicy Roasted Broccolini Quinoa Salad from Design*Sponge • Teriyaki-Glazed Tofu and Broccolini from Gourmet • Broccolini and Potato Frittata from Leite's Culinaria

Do you love broccolini? How do you cook with it?

(Image: Flickr member Jules: Stone Soup licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (7)

How is broccolini different from broccoli rabe? Because it looks a lot like broccoli rabe but I'd always heard that was much more bitter/spicier than normal broccoli.

I roast it in the oven with some olive oil, coarse salt and pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Yum!

I was about the ask the same question as VINTAGEJENTA. How are broccolini and broccoli rabe different? Is this one of those things where they use the name from a different region to make it sound fancier? (Which has always bothered me!)

From my experience, broccoli rabe is more bitter than regular broccoli. I had "broccolini" at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and although the way it was cooked was super delicious, I could still taste it's bitterness, which was more than regular broccoli. I don't recall any sweetness with broccoli rabe either.

OK, I will correct myself.

I just researched it and broccolini is a cross breed between regular broccoli and Chinese chard. It is also trademarked by the Japanese company that developed it with the name Chinese kale.

Broccoli rabe is from Italy, also known as rapini. It appears to be more leafy?

Broccoli rabe (aka rapini or raab) is actually more closely related to turnips. They have more leaves than broccolini and a smaller, less prominent florets. It also has a more bitter and pungent taste. Here's a little more about it: Seasonal Kitchen: Rapini.

While they're different vegetables with different flavor profiles, I do think they often get mixed up and misidentified at both the market and in restaurants.

I love broccolini, which has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than regular broccoli (and not the bitterness of broccoli rabe). I lightly steam it and toss it in a balsamic and dijon vinaigrette (with lemon juice and garlic). If it's just me, I'll serve this with a little brown rice and call it dinner.

I had broccolini in my fridge when thekitchn posted this recipe last year...
http://honestcooking.com/2011/03/15/broccoli-rabe-pastry-buns/ ...and the flavor is so mild and savory and not-really-broccoli-y (a good thing for people who don't like broccoli) that this is what I always use when I make these.

Also, there's so much less prep to cook (steam, roast, etc.) broccolini...I don't like to waste the stems of regular broccoli but peeling, etc. is a little time consuming sometimes.