Old World Taste For Modern Times by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., President, Produce for Better Health Foundation (NAPSA)—Your grandmother may havecalled it “rapini,” but you will call it “wonderful.” Wonderful because it tastes great, is easy to prepare and is packed with vitamins A and C and other nutrients. Once found only at the Italian greengrocer, broccoli rabe is now a regular in many supermarkets across the nation. Elizabeth Pivonka (pro- nounced “rob”) is a beautiful, dark green, leafy vegetable. It has clusters of green flower heads similar to broccoli, but much smaller. Choose bunches with small stems andtightly closed flowers, and get ready for a unique taste experience. Preparing broccoli rabe is as easy as: 1. Rinse and trim 4 inch from bottom of stems. 2. Cut stalks crosswise into 2inch pieces and drop them into salted (optional), boiling water. 3. Cook for 1-2 minutes and remove with slotted spoon. 4. Saut the blanched broccoli rabe in a little olive oil and as much garlic as you like for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add a few dried red pepperflakes if you like your food on the spicy side. I like to prepare extra and have it on hand in the fridge for other disheslike: GREAT PIZZAS Top a pizza shell with sauted broccoli rabe and a little fresh mozzarella cheese. WORLD CLASS SANDWICHES Pile sauted broccoli rabe, sliced tomatoes, and thinly sliced ham on crusty bread. SUPER SALADS Garnish room temperature, sauted broccoli rabe with cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese. MARVELOUS MASHED POTATOES Chop sauted broccoli rabe into small pieces and stir them into mashed potatoes. The robust flavor of broccoli rabe adds pleasure to meals and as part of a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables can help protect against many formsof cancer, and high blood pressure. There is overwhelming evidence that people who eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day reducetheir risk for many chronic diseases. 5 A Day can reducethe risk of cancer by 20 percent. Take the 5 A Day Challenge. You can do it. Enjoy the great taste of fruits and vegetables as well as their impressive health benefits. Penne With 6 quarts boiling, salted (optional) water 1 bunch AndyBoy \% cup olive oil % cup slice kalamata olives 4 large cloves garlic, peeled andsliced % teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 pound pennepasta Prepare broccoli rabe as noted in steps 1, 2 and 8. Reserve water to cook the pasta. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, olives, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook andstir until garlic is transparent but not brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and % cup of the reserved water and continue to cook andstir until the broccoli rabe is just tender, another 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add pasta to reserved boiling water and cook just until tender, about 6 to 8 min- utes. Drain. Add pasta to broccoli rabe mixture and toss to mix well. Serves 5 Nutrients per serving: Calo- ries 479; Protein 15g; Fat 13g; heart disease, diabetes, obesity Calories from Fat 25 percent; Carbohydrate 73g; Cholesterol Omg; Fiber 2g; Sodium 189mg For more information and recipes go to: www.andyboy.com; www.d5aday.com; www.about produce.com eee eee eee eee ee eee eee See eee eee ee eee eee ee eee eee Note to Editors: Thirty-sixth in a series of monthly 5-A-Day columns.
