Stewed Broccoli Rabe and Bacon
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced on a mandolin
- 8 oz bacon
- 2 tsp chopped Calabrian chilis more to taste
- 1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes crushed by hand
- 2 large bunches of broccoli rabe tough ends trimmed and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup roughly torn fresh basil
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Pecorino romano for serving, if desired
- Fried Egg for serving
- Sourdough toast for serving
Instructions
- Add about ½ if an inch of olive oil to a medium pot. Add in garlic. Turn heat to medium and fry until lightly golden brown (they will crisp as they cool), about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and season with salt. Set aside.
- Pour out all but 1 Tbsp of the garlic oil. Set aside the remaining.*
- Add in bacon and render until golden and crispy (keep all the bacon fat, it makes the dish!).
- Add in chilis and cook for a few seconds in the fat. Stir in tomatoes.
- Simmer sauce over medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Add in broccoli rabe and cover to steam over medium-low until wilted and cooked down, about 3-5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe in stages if it all doesn’t fit in the pan at once.
- Remove lid and cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until broccoli rabe is very tender and stew-y about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in basil and parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste (it’s important not to season this dish until the end because it can get too salty if seasoned in the earlier steps).
- Serve topped with fried garlic, a drizzle of reserved garlic oil, and pecorino romano, if desired. Add a fried egg and some sourdough toast on the side and you have a lovely meal! This also makes a great holiday side dish!
Notes
*Save any leftover garlic oil in the fridge for future cooking!!
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