Friariello

[Jenise]

Last week at an Italian deli in North Van, I found and bought something I'd never heard of before called Friarello. However I could see there were dark green stringy things packed in oil with garlic and red pepper flakes, and that's my kind of food. I opened the jar yesterday, and wow, I love it!

I found a Wiki on it, so I'll share. The actual green involved here is rapini, also known as broccoli rabe. Think I need to get me some sausage and make a pizza!

The Wiki:

The broccoli friariello of Naples, or friariello[1] is a variety of Brassica rapa subsp. sylvestris recognized as one of the traditional Italian agri-food products of Campania. Typical of Neapolitan cuisine, in which sautés are generally prepared.

Use in the kitchen
Broccoli are generally prepared fried in olive oil with garlic, salt and a little spicy red chilli. In this form they do not require prior boiling, although some prefer it to give the final dish a greater tenderness.

How to eat
In Neapolitan cuisine, broccoli form an almost indissoluble combination with sausage, of which they represent the traditional side dish. As street food, sandwich shops sell sandwiches stuffed at the moment with sausage and broccoli. In Neapolitan pizzerias there is also pizza on the menu with sausage, broccoli, grated parmesan cheese and fiordilatte (called by some "pizza alla carrettiera"). In rotisseries and in some bakeries, stuffed pizzas (calzoni) with sausage and broccoli are prepared. In frying shops the fried version of this calzone is produced.

Jenise, what brand did you buy? I see some of the line also has artichokes.

Never seen in in a jar. Similar prep is available at most of the Italian delis around here. But we do rapini fairly often at home- blanch, cool, squeeze, and then sauteed in garlicky oil and finish with red pepper flakes.

[Jenise]

Never seen in in a jar. Similar prep is available at most of the Italian delis around here. But we do rapini fairly often at home- blanch, cool, squeeze, and then sauteed in garlicky oil and finish with red pepper flakes.

I make them too. And I adore a dish where I make a vegetarian pasta sauce out of rapini and toasted walnuts. Another frequent thing here at Chez J is lightly par-boiled, cooled, then served as a salad topped with lemon juice, EVOO and feta cheese.

I've never seen them pickled/preserved before, though, which has a very different and deeper flavor. I'm going to drain them to top some crostinis tomorrow, and will save the oil for other salad dressings.