three bowls

Broccoli Rabe, I know we just met, so I hope this isn't going to like freak you out or anything...but I just think you are the bee's knees and I look forward to getting to know you more.  You're welcome in my crisper drawer anytime!

Even though you look sort of like the embryo of some plant-creature hybrid from an alien society when you are in the cooling phase of being blanched.

And this is a recipe I would be very happy to make with that alien embryo: Epicurious's Broccoli Rabe with Bulgur and Walnuts.

One reason: other than the broccoli rabe, it uses only ingredients I almost always have on hand: lemons, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, bulgur wheat (I usually buy it with the intention to make tabbouleh, forgetting how really ambivalent I am about tabbouleh), and shallots (now that I'm all fancy-times all the time and making risotto more regularly, I am making sure to make regular stock-up visits to Trader Joe's, which has it for such a good price).

The sauteed shallots really seemed to meld well with the bulgur, giving the grain a lot of delicious flavor.  The walnuts made this seem richer and more satisfying that a simple grain + veggie dish normally is.  The lemon juice at the end picked all the flavors up and who can argue with Parmesan? 

The same evening I made this I also made a simple tomato sauce, and wound up throwing most of away because I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to eat any more of it.  

For one thing, despite what seemed like adequate cooking time, the flavors never seemed to combine; each individual element stood out on its own and not in a good way.  And for another, I had that usual vegetarian cooking problem, a lack of that rich undertone of umami or whatever it is that makes something feel really hearty and satisfying.

This dish, though, had all those virtues, and, once again, my new favorite thing in cooking, that elusive end result that is more than the sum of its parts. 

It was also excellent cold the next day.  Four stars!